|  If one had glanced through Ambrosia, published in Mumbai in 2006 when Rojita Tiwari joined this spirits and wine magazine, you would know it was primarily a spirits magazine with a fleeting interest in wine. Today thanks to her constant efforts as an Associate Editor, it has achieved a good balance between wine, beer and liquor in the monthly magazine.
After finishing her Post Graduation Diploma in Mass communication from International School of Business and Media, Pune she joined a publishing company called New Media Communication in 2003-04. Working for the magazine that was focused on Indo-Australian Business, there were several official events which gave her access to an array of wines from Australia and occasionally from other countries. She doesn’t mind admitting she was inducted to the alcoholic beverage culture through beer and spirits like most Indian youth.
Things changed drastically when she joined Ambrosia. The job was timely in that the domestic wine industry had began to see a number of new players, affording her opportunities to visit several wineries. ‘My first winery visit in India was Vintage Wines. Next was a trip to one of the finest wine growing regions and my personal favourite-Sicily where I went for ‘En premier’ event in 2007. The event not only gave me exposure to the world of Sicilian wines but also introduced me to the world of wine writers, journalists, critics and professional tasters’ she says.
My interest in wine got deeper and deeper with the fascination turning into passion’, she says. Over the seven and half years of being with Ambrosia she has visited many other regions like, Tuscany, Bordeaux, Champagne, South of France, Germany, Priorat etc. ‘With each region, style and variety that I encountered, the desire to learn more kept growing. I realized how serious wine making was and how each bottle and label unfolded decades-old stories and family history of wine making. Possessing a graduation degree in economics and geography helped.’
Besides handling the entire process of production of each issue of Ambrosia, Rojita regularly contribute to the interviews and special feature sections. The magazine which earlier focused more on spirits and beer sector besides a few regular interviews and occasional event coverages and articles on wine, has gradually shifted its focus towards wine also.
 The magazine contributes through in-house activities of wine tastings and events. She concedes, that besides promoting and educating the trade and discerning consumers about wine, she also learns about wines continuously. ‘We have started doing wine reviews. Last month during Vinexpo we organised the first ever Indian wines tasting for a select panel that comprised of world renowned wine critics, writers and Masters of Wine’ she adds.
‘I believe that the liquid in the bottle deserves as much understanding and respect as any living being. Also, acquiring wine knowledge is a continuous process. Every day I learn something new about wine. To back up the knowledge with a professional qualification I also enrolled with WSET and qualified the Intermediate Certificate in Wine and Spirits.’
Rojita aims to continue the wine learning journey and spreading the word to everyone holding a glass of wine to appreciate the drink. We say cheers to the young Rojita- WOW.
Subhash Arora
With this we conclude the series of Top Ten Women of Wine in India. A consolidated list will be published in the next issue of delWine-editor
Ealier articles
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013 - Reva Singh of Sommelier India
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013- Kiran Patil of Vintage Wines
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013-Cecilia Oldne of Sula
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013-Sonal Holland of ITC Hotels
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013- Karishma Grover of Grover- Zampa
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013-Farzana Contractor of UpperCrust
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013 -Ritu Dalmia of Diva
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013 –Violet d’Souza of Terroir India
WOW: Top Ten Women of Wine in India 2013 -Dharti Desai of FWM |