India discovers ‘A Century of Australian Wine Heritage’
Wine Australia, in partnership with Austrade, the Australian High Commission and FINE Wine & Champagne hosted ‘A Century of Australian Wine Heritage’ on Friday, 22 January in New Delhi, India.
Held at High Commissioner Patrick Suckling’s residence, the intimate tasting was presented by Wine Australia Chair Brian Walsh, who introduced guests to Australia’s fine wine heritage through a tasting line up of wines spanning vintages from the last hundred years.
Arjun Sharma, Chairman of Select Group India, a highly regarded hospitality, retail and tourism group, said of the event, ‘It was a privilege to attend this spectacular wine tasting. I learnt about the legacy of ancient and premium wines that Australia has to offer.
‘I will definitely put Australia in my travel plans to discover their fine wines and to explore business opportunities.’
Mr Walsh said that while the Indian export market was currently small, it demonstrates potential for strong growth in the future.
‘We need to keep engaging with markets like India where the potential for increased wine demand is strong.
‘Now is the time to cement Australia’s reputation as a producer of fine wine and tastings like this one, along with the work we do with in-market Australian wine educators in both Mumbai and New Delhi, will help us grow demand among discerning Indian wine consumers.
‘It’s been wonderful to travel to India and share some of our finest examples of Australian wine from the last century. This event has been two years in the making because these wines haven’t been easy to find. They’ve come from personal cellars, wineries and auction houses and many have been carried in hand luggage, bottle by bottle, just to get them to India intact.
Rajiv Singhal, Publisher and Editor of FINE Wine & Champagne, was a guest of Savour Australia, Wine Australia’s global wine forum held in Adelaide, South Australia in 2013. Mr Singhal was impressed by the age and quality of some of the older wines he tasted and for the last two years he has worked with Wine Australia and Austrade to source aged Australian wines from each decade of the last century.
‘This tasting is a culmination of an enriching first visit to Australia in 2013 where I was introduced to old vintages dating back to the early 20th century.
‘I am delighted that we have been able to host this exclusive and unique tasting in New Delhi.’
The wines tasted included:
- Campbell Wines Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat
- 1915 Seppeltsfield 100 Year Old Para Vintage Tawny
- 1930 Seppeltsfield Para Vintage Tawny
- 1936 Hardys Vintage Port
- 1947 Orlando Vintage Tawny Port
- 1954 Hardys Bin M177 Show Tawny Port
- 1957 Orlando Vintage Tawny Port
- 1963 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz
- 1967 Brown Brothers Milawa Everton Hills Shiraz and Cabernet
- 1970 d’Arenberg Shiraz
- 1970 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1975 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
- 1978 Tahbilk Reserve Bin 65 Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1984 Penfolds Grange
- 1986 Yalumba Signature Cabernet Shiraz
- 1998 Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2001 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2011 Houghton Jack Mann Cabernet Sauvignon
The event follows the recent release of export figures that show an increase in the value of Australian wine exports to India of 10 per cent to A$4 million in 2015. Australia is the number one importer of wine to India followed by France and Italy.