Indian wine

[2] The viticulture in India has a long history, dating back to the time of the Indus Valley civilization when grapevines were believed to have been introduced from Persia.

The end of the 19th century saw the phylloxera louse take its toll on the Indian wine industry, followed by religious and public opinion moving towards the prohibition.

Following the country's independence from the British Empire, the Indian government encouraged vineyards to convert to table grape and raisin production.

In the 1980s and 1990s, a revival in the Indian wine industry took place as international influences and the growing middle class started increasing demand for the beverage.

The first known mention of grape-based wines was in the late 4th century BC writings of Chanakya, who was the chief minister of Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.

In his writings, Chanakya condemns the use of alcohol while chronicling the emperor and his court's frequent indulgence of a style of grape wine known as Madhu.

[3] In the centuries that would follow, wine became the privileged drink of the Kshatriya or dominant class while the oppressed caste typically drank alcohol made from wheat, barley and millet.

The turning point of the modern Indian wine industry occurred in the early 1980s with the founding of The Tonia Group in the state of Goa.

Other wineries soon followed as the emergence of India's growing middle class fueled the growth and development of the Indian wine industry.

Vines are often trained on bamboo and wire in a pergola to increase canopy cover and to get the grapes off the ground where they would be more prone to fungal diseases.