Indian wine drinkers now have a reason to smile. No, their glass of Shiraz isn’t getting any cheaper, but their knowledge of what’s best in the market has just been given a fillip. Indian wine magazine Sommelier India organised the first Sommelier India Wine Competition on November 19, where a panel of judges chaired by magazine publisher Reva Singh and wine critic Steven Spurrier sipped on 411 wines in a blind tasting spree.

Of the 75 Indian wines that competed, the Nine Hills Shiraz 2008, the York Reserve Shiraz 2008, and the Four Seasons Viognier were given the gold award at a ceremony held in ITC Grand Central on Thursday.

In all, 18 wines from different countries were given the gold award.

The judges included David Banford, director of The Wine Society of India and Sommeliers like Magandeep Singh, Sonal Holland and Vir Sanghvi, editorial director of Hindustan Times.

Abhay Kewadkar, director, Four Seasons Wine, lauded the effort as one that would make the Indian consumers more aware of which wine to choose. “The last year has been rather stagnant for business, but we’re hopeful that we should bounce back to a 40 per cent growth rate by next year,” he said.

The silver award category had six Indian wines including Sula Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2008.

For list of winners, visit www.siwc.in/index.html