New Delhi: Want to chill out with a glass of wine with like-minded women and learn more about the drink that is fast catching the fancy of discerning Indians? Welcome to the Wine Women and Wit (W3) club, meant exclusively for women who want to know more about wine and enjoy it too.

Dharti Desai, founder and CEO of Finewinesnmore, an importer and distributor of wine, along with Chandni Dhall, entrepreneur, formed this club to create awareness about wine by organising events where wine experts will throw light on the art of wine making.
"We conduct two events in a month. One which is for non-serious wine drinkers where we will have a fashion show or some other entertainment-based events. And the other event is for serious wine drinkers who want to know more about wine," Desai told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

The first W3 club was launched in Mumbai in December. The second club will be launched in New Delhi in February and another one in Bangalore in April.

Why launch such a club?

"We thought there was a need to strengthen the women-driven wine revolution in India. As of today, holding a wine glass has become a statement that says one has arrived. It is more of a status symbol," explained Desai.

"Before launching this club, I did my survey that gave me astonishing results like 50 percent of all wine consumed in India is drunk by women and a clear majority of all wine purchases in India, around 60 percent, are made by women," she added.

Though wine drinking in India is still in its nascent stage and some consider it a women's drink, Desai says affordability is the main factor that comes as a hindrance in popularising this drink.

"If you really wish to drink nice, smooth wine, you will have to shell out a decent sum because excise rates are so high it increases the original price of a good wine by 10 percent," she said.

Desai compared wine to a perfume and said one had to acquire taste for a wine just like one acquired a liking for a particular perfume.

"For the Indian palate getting used to the taste of wine is still a growing process. You should not drink some particular wine because someone else recommends it to you. You should experiment and develop your own taste and not get influenced by others.

"It is just like perfume. You develop your own liking for a particular fragrance. Same goes here. Try different wines and develop your own taste buds. This is the beauty of discovering wine," she added.

Membership to the club is open in two categories, Sparkling and Rose. Sparkling membership is for Rs.25,000 per year and that of Rose Rs.60,000

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