The 2023 India Wine Awards raised a toast to the best wines in the country
- Featured Food & Beverage Spirits
Staff Writer- 5 minutes read
The fifth edition of India Wine Awards presented by Sonal Holland Wine Academy in association with ProWine announced 219 winning wines across several categories chosen from a list of 460 wine and sake nominations. The event which took place on November 24 at Jio World Convention Centre hosted the largest ever blind-tasting competition of domestic and international wines available in India.
In this competition, each wine was judged on a 100-point score sheet by a panel of 20 jury members who ensured that the winners reflected the tastes of Indian customers.
79 wines won in the Gold category while 110 wines won in Silver. From the 30 Best in Show winners, the wine with the highest score was named as Best in Show within its category. Sake was introduced as a new category as well this year to acknowledge the beverage’s traction in the Indian market. The jury struggled to select a single winner for certain categories leading, at times, to a two or three-way tie.
The Winners’ Night brought together 600 eminent personalities in the industry including luminaries, hospitality leaders, global trade councils and winemakers from across the world. Of these, the night celebrated the especially noteworthy founder and CEO of Sula Vineyards, Rajeev Samant, whose work has helped lay the integral foundations of the Indian wine industry. He deservedly received the ‘Indian Wine Industry Leader and Champion Award’ presented to him by Sonal C Holland herself.
The ceremony also saw the launch of a new segment this year — IndiaWineAwards’ 50 Best Places To Drink — a curation of the best restaurants and bars across the country for creating excellent drinking experiences for their customers. The list was compiled based on public and jury member votes, paying homage not only to the finest drinking spots but also to the diligence, professionalism and congeniality of the employees who make these establishments particularly memorable.
Within this segment, Mumbai-based Americano emerged as a fan favourite, proudly claiming first place. Americano was followed by nine other noteworthy establishments that made it to the Top 10 Best Places to Drink. These include The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai), Hideaway (Goa), Masque (Mumbai), Comorin (Gurugram), Slink & Bardot (Mumbai), Sidecar (New Delhi), Sula Tasting Room (Nashik), Copitas (Bengaluru) and Slow Tide (Goa).
“With every passing year, we are growing bigger, better and even bolder and that only reflects where the Indian wine industry firmly stands today.” said Sonal C Holland MW, founder and chairperson of India Wine Awards, remarking on a successful edition of the awards and lauding the hundreds of brands that ensure the steady growth of the Indian wine industry.
List of Winners
