Why not wine?
India should encourage the option of trying healthier, less dangerous alcoholic drinks instead of hard spirits, says NOEL G DESOUZA
“Indians love hard liquor, shun wine” roars the headline in a recent edition of The Times of India, India’s leading English daily.
It would have been appropriate if the report had been titled, Indians who drink love liquor, but shun wine, given that only a small percentage of Indians are drinkers.
The story was based on the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s 2011 report on alcohol consumption.
A similar story in the Sydney Morning Herald gives the erroneous impression that Indians are hard alcohol drinkers.
WHO estimates that 90.1% (80% males and 97% females) of Indians generally abstain from alcohol, with Indians who have abstained from alcohol all their lives making up 79.2% (76.2% males and 92% females) of these. Even though only 10% of Indians drink alcoholic beverages, they represent over a 100 million people, thus constituting a substantial market which dwarfs the entire Australian population.
A large number of young Indians will be entering the drinking age in the next 3 to 4 years (Wine India estimates these to be 100 million), thus creating an even bigger market. The question that Indians need to ask is whether wine should be promoted as a healthier alternative to hard alcohol. Russia has had the unfortunate experience of social disarray (almost a national calamity) caused by addiction to vodka.
India toasts foreign dignitaries with fruit juice rather than the western custom of wine. Subhash Arora, President of the Indian Wine Academy, has written to the Indian President that Indian wines should be served instead. India imports wines from Europe and Australia. Western Australia held a ten-day wine and food show in Bangalore to showcase its products as recently as December last year.
Alcoholic consumption provides a marked cultural contrast between India and Australia. Only 15.9% of Australians abstain from alcohol and of these, 8.6% are lifetime abstainers. Drinking alcoholic beverages is part of the Australian culture, in harmony with European habits. The pattern of drinking is complex: only 22% drink spirits or hard alcoholic beverages, whilst the majority go for milder drinks. Beer is the favourite drink for 46% of drinkers, with wines being consumed by 32%.
Spirits, beer and wines differ in their alcoholic content and cultural backgrounds. Spirits are strong alcoholic drinks and their consumption even in moderate amounts can lead to drunkenness. When habitually drunk, spirits can damage health. Such drinks are dangerous to mix with certain medications.
The police have intervened in the NSW elections by demanding that drinking venues should close early, as violent incidents near such venues are typically alcohol-related. Drink driving laws in Australia are severe as is the ban on underage drinking. Many of the incidents against Indian students in the recent past took place in pubs at night. Were those students unadvisedly attempting to integrate into Australian society by joining drinking parties?
Alcoholic content in beer ranges from medium to low, and even zero. So-called light beers have become popular in Australia ever since strict drink-driving rules came into effect. The alcoholic content in wine used to be generally low, but in recent years it has risen to around 10%. Both alcohol-free beer and wines are available in supermarkets. The consumption of wine has been increasing vis-à-vis other drinks in Australia, particularly with southern Europeans coming to the country.
India does not have a culture of drinking alcoholic beverages with minor exceptions such as in Goa. Goa produces its own range of alcoholic drinks like the strong liquor feni, made from caju fruit. Feni recently obtained exclusive international naming rights just like for champagne. Wine became an important part of Goan culture during Portuguese times, and the state remains a high consumer of wine.
Alcoholics Anonymous estimates that 45% of Goa’s population consumes alcohol which dwarfs the estimated 25% in other Indian states. The number of alcoholics in Goa is estimated to be one lakh. In such cases a large part of the family income gets wasted on alcoholic addiction. Medical reports say that many diseases in Goa are alcohol-related. When this writer grew up in Goa during Portuguese times, alcoholic consumption was a virtual curse on society, though it was strangely condoned.
Wine is produced in small quantities in Goa. Portugal, an important wine-producer which is famous for its Porto made from dried grapes, has recently offered to help wine production in India by sharing its technology.
Every Indian state has its own rules with regard to alcoholic beverages. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Himachal are actively encouraging their wine industries by liberalizing their excise regimes. 80% of wine consumption in India is confined to major cities such as Mumbai (39%), Delhi (23%), Bangalore (9%) and Goa (9%). Gujarat’s policy of alcoholic prohibition has encouraged the former Portuguese enclaves of Daman and Diu to become tourist watering holes.
Encouraging the emerging generation in India to consume lower alcoholic beverages rather than hard drinks, could ultimately result in a healthier outcome.
