In early June, Mr. B K Balaji Rao, founding President of Hyderabad Wine Club visited Kuala Lumpur & Singapore. Accompanied by his lovely wife, Tamara, they took advantage of the recent reduction in airfares from India, to see for themselves the nature of the wine scene here.
Their highlight in Kuala Lumpur was a visit to Malaysia's one & only winery. Here,  wines are made from grape must, starfruit, mango and other local fruits. Some are further distilled into fruit alcohol & blended with Chinese herbs to produce tonics, under contract with a well-known Chinese medical company.
In Singapore, they were treated to a wide array of wines, currently not available in Hyderabad, or for that matter, anywhere in India. They were totally overwhelmed by the wide choice, specially at Crystal Wines, Jus de Vie & Que Pasa.
Besides wines, they gamely home-cooked the regal cuisine of the Nizams, to search for wines that would match them. At the same time, they were thrilled to discover the many flavours of the local foods of Malaysia and Singapore.
Wine culture is still at its infancy in Hyderabad and the rest of India. With the right approach, India will become a major market for quality wines. Specially where you have people like Mr. Balaji Rao, who have the willingness to discover & learn the essence of wine culture not simply wine drinking.