Among all the reasons that are often cited for the appallingly slow rise of the popularity of wine in India vis-?-vis other countries, which were equally new to this beverage (like China, for instance), the one that is most commonly overlooked is also perhaps the most basic in the entire chain of the process of enjoying wine: availability.

Wine is perhaps the second most bought souvenir on foreign trips, after of course, some junk that resembles the Eiffel Tower and and is peddled to us by street-smart immigrant hawkers.

But socio-politico-economics aside, the reason why wine doesn?t seem to entirely take off in the world?s second most populated nation?who do seem to have a refined sense of taste?is because they don?t know how to get their hands on it. Long ago, when my book Wine Wisdom was released, the by-line read, ?Buying and Drinking wine in India? and almost everyone I met had the same rebuttal quip for me, ?The drinking we can manage but tell us where can we buy it!?

Frequency of trials is the only thing that creates familiarity which then leads to definition of choices and establishment of preferences. It is why an Englishman feels more at ease commenting on fish n? chips, just like a Chinese person can hold forth comfortably on Peking duck or dim sums. The sheer number of times they have tried a product makes them understand it better and helps them adjudge one better than another. The richer the repertoire of trials, the deeper is the critique that evolves from it.

So, how were we Indians supposed to know our wines when every shop labelled ?wine and beer? mostly stocks cheap whisky? We keep having a better understanding of all spirits brown under the sun but wine was the odd bottle languishing on many a dusty liquor shop shelve, waiting its turn.

The recent change of laws in the capital have made the scene much better. Suddenly, it is now possible to see a lot more wine on the shelves. And not just on the old dusty ones. Shops are swankier, in stylish shopping malls, and air-conditioned! A far cry from the rickety metal cages of yore; reeking of broken bottles and the sweat of millions from the drinking classes, clamouring noisily for their daily fix. A woman wouldn?t have ever dared venture into this world, scared of being judged, stared, and sometimes, groped.

Jump forward to today and you have these clean establishments in the best of the market places that stock wines and beers. For once, Delhi seems to be mirroring Bombay for the right reasons. Even the suburb of Gurgaon had a headstart on the capital with a very well laid out Spencer?s store stocking so many types of international wines, beers, and spirits. And Bombay was Bombay, always educated and ahead of the cruder ways of the capital, always having had private shops where buying was truly an experience and not an ordeal. Delhi now seems to have caught up unexpectedly, and quickly.

Here shops of Nature?s Basket are doing a good job. They have a great location: three prime residential colonies, a super catchment area for the wine drinkers of the city. The stock is ample and comprehensive, covering a good spread of regions, grapes and wine styles. There is a definite tilt towards the New World (South Africa, Argentina) but some notable Italian and Spanish names are also spotted. Storage is temperature controlled and that helps preserve wines. General pricing is below R1,500, although there are higher options as well. Most wines would be best enjoyed young and I wouldn?t recommend ageing or hanging on to them. I am a fan of Graham Beck wines and they have the range here. Jacob?s Creek, one of the most consistent wines I have ever had, is also here. Some finds would include Bertani Soave from Italy, Torres and Marques de Riscal from Spain, and Peter Lehmann from Australia. These are great brands to receive an initiation into the world of wines and as long as the vintages are not too old (say, more than four years), you are sure to be trying a crisp fresh wine.

On the whole, I see these as early efforts and am sure that in time the collection will get more up-ended, and a reduction in local taxes (long, long, long overdue) would surely help push things in that direction, and faster.

For now, we Delhiites have a new way to amuse ourselves. Something to bring alive the child in all of us, a Willy Wonka?s chocolate factory for the grown ups, if you may wish to indulge yourself so. Here is how I suggest you go about it. Make your way to wine shop, any in a mall, else Nature?s Basket maybe nearby too, but in either case, NOT an ?English wine and beer?-marked place. Decide what you wish to spend on and browse for a bottle that fits the range. Choose by colour, and maybe by country or region, should you have a predetermined preference. Take it home, cool or chill for a bit?room temperature is for Europe!?and then pour forth and see what it does to you. And then, repeat. Repeat till you have done this over and over again, so much so that the person at the cashier now knows you by your first name. When they give you a credit line at the shop, that is when you know that you are on your way to being a true ?connoisseur?!

The writer is a sommelier