FACTOID OF THE DAY Indian households earning the rupee equivalent of US$100,000 or more will rise from 1.6 million at present to 3 million by 2010, says Technopak's India Luxury Report 2006. Each of these households spends about US$9,000 a year on luxury and upper-end premium goods and services. The number of such households is growing at 14% a year. If each of them buys two cases of wine (24 bottles) a year, in India or on trips abroad, they will create a market for 6 million cases - 10 times the size of the Indian market today - by 2010. ( Source: www.ibef.org )

The Lingering Sensations of Chateau d'Yquem

On his return from Vinoble 2006 in Jerez, Spain, Subhash Arora finds it hard to forget the taste left behind by a guided tasting of the First Growth Sauternes -- it simply lingers on ... more

India's Cold Chain A Big Challenge For Retailers: The Economist

In an in-depth report on doing business in India, The Economist says this time round the Indian business boom story is real, but identifies infrastructure blues and a talent crunch as the major obstacles confronting the country's economy, reports Sourish Bhattacharyya   ... more

Vinoble 2006: A Memorably Sweet Experience in Sherry Capital

After exploring the world of fortified and dessert wines, and the culinary experience of matching the local food with sherry, Subhash Arora comes back wondering why he didn't see any other Indian at this   ... more

The Drinks Business Names Karan Bilimoria Man of the Year

Karan Bilimoria, founder and chief executive of Cobra Beer, has been honoured with the Man of the Year title at the The Drinks Business Awards 2006 in London. Others in the shortlist were Alex Anson of the retail group Thresher, Danny Cameron of Raymond Reynolds,   ... more

350 Malls by 2007, But Be Careful Before Moving Into Them: IGD

The UK-based retail markets research agency, IGD, expects an eventual liberalisation of Indian FDI rules and the completion of over 350 malls by 2007-end will not only drive the organised grocery retail market forward, but also significantly increase the supply of suitable retail space.   ... more

Auction Napa Valley Earnings Behind Last Year's Level

The 26th Auction Napa Valley made US$8.4m this weekend - down on the US$10.5m raised last year, reports Janice Fuhrman in Decanter.com. But despite a drop in the money made from the auction, just one record-breaking lot did make over US$1m.   ... more

Jittery Importers Rap Bordeaux Chateaux for Profiteering

The euphoria over Bordeaux 2005 has given way to apprehension, reports Decanter.com. Leading wine merchants fear the prices of the top wines, when they are released, will go through the roof. "This whole 2005 campaign is turning into a bad joke," proclaimed a wine buyer on the US-based    ... more

Hospitality Sector Managers Unhappy, Moving To Other Industries

Eighty-five percent of all management-level personnel across hotel chains in India aren't happy with their working conditions and are waiting for the right opportunity to move out, HVS International's Director (Executive Search) Natwar Nagar has said.  ... more