The Indian Grape Processing Board (IGPB), set up under the ministry of food processing industries, has been invited by the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG) as an observer for the first time at an international level meet of the group being held in Washington.
India is also the first country from Asia to become the member of the Paris-based International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV). The meet is expected to conclude on November 8. “The invitation to IGPB indicates the world is recognising and watching the Indian wine industry and is eager to involve India in the WWTG,” Jagdish Holkar, chairman of IGPB, told FE.
IGPB will initially participate as an observer and initiate contacts and then apply for membership, he said. The move will help the Indian wine industry gain international recognition and also boost export of Indian wines, he added.
Headquartered in the US, WWTG comprises eight non-EU wine producing countries who now account for almost a third of total global wine exports, a share which has risen rapidly over the past decade.
Members include New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Georgia, South Africa and the US; some other wine producing nations, such as Brazil, China, Mexico and Uruguay, attend as observers.
WWTG works to facilitate the international wine trade. The body also consists of new world wine producers and this is expected to help India in promoting its wines, Holkar said. The OIV membership helps India get access to state-of-the-art scientific knowledge about vines, wines and grapes.
“WWTG developed a mutual acceptance pact on oenological practices which recognises wine-making practices prevalent in different countries without using them as trade hurdles by the signatories. Therefore, membership to this group is important,” Holkar pointed out. Other countries to participate in the meet include China, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay,Thailand and Vietnam.
He said the the invitation to the wider membership of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative (APEC) on wine-related issues is a welcome move. Along these lines, the US will soon host a joint APEC wine regulatory forum, he added.
The APEC, the premier Pacific Rim economic forum made up of 21 nations, supports sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the region.
Indian wine has been gaining recognition in international markets. York Winery’s 2012 Chenin Blanc and 2012 Sauvignon Blanc won a bronze medal in the 2012 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition. Ritu Wines won 4 Bronze medals. Indian wines also featured at the London International Wine Fair.