Christmas is excuse enough to have more wine. All those parties at home with family call for more bottles to be uncorked every night. But December 2015 was extra special for us. The state of Kerala, known the world over for its pristine beauty, saw a sudden surge in the sale of wines.
Traditionally, Kerala was a market that guzzled hard liquor. Rum and brandy were the popular favourites. In fact, visitors to the state were often greeted by the rather strange sight of long, serpentine queues of men waiting for their daily drink outside local liquor stores. But on March 31, 2014, the government, as part of its new liquor policy, refused to renew the licenses of 418 bars that expired on that day. New liquor bars would be allowed only in five-star hotels, declared the government. This was done in a bid to curb the consumption of hard liquor in the state.
In January 2015, the government decided to relax this restriction a bit, and announced that it would issue licenses to wine and beer parlours. Liquor stores that shut shop reopened as wine and beer parlours and started serving up again. The average monthly sales in 2015 saw a steady spike compared to the previous fiscals, with wine sales estimated to have increased by 184.54% (source: http://bit.ly/1ZzPCAa). And winemakers across the country were ready to make merry during Christmas!
Big Banyan Premium Wines was no exception. It was a good year for us. But we had an even better December. As the locals bought more and more of our Indian made wines, we ushered in the New Year on a high. We hope to continue this good run in 2016 too.