India Wine Awards 2018 gets the happy high to Indian Wine

Mumbai, India
The winners of the 2018 India Wine Awards were revealed in a sparkling black-tie event attended by all the luminaries of the wine and hospitality world at The Leela, Mumbai.
The dazzling award ceremony, presented by whisky wizard and media personality Anish Trivedi, saw 184 medals in Silver, Gold and Diamond awarded to domestic and international wines,including 30 Best in Class Trophies for outstanding wines in the competition results. The popular Best Wine Pairings with Indian Cuisine category had 10 Trophy Winners emerge from 120 wines,paired with nine dishes such as chicken chettinad and mutton rahra.
Raising the bar as the country’s most authoritative wine awards, a special category of Excellence in Restaurant Wine Programs at Hotels and Premium Stand-Alone Restaurants located in the three major consumption centers of Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Bangalore recognised 20 restaurants for a World Class Wine List, 8 restaurants as World Class Wine Destinations and a further 6 restaurants for the best Wine-Trained Service staff.
The India Wine Awards, led by the most qualified and foremost wine professionals in India and abroad, is an initiative powered by Sonal Holland, India's first Master of Wine and Founder-Director of SoHo Wine Club. Wines entered in the competition were judged over two days a panel chaired by Sonal Holland, comprising 18 distinguished wine and food experts including  Ajit Balgi from The Happy High. 

To build a strong foundation for Excellence in Restaurant Wine Programs at Hotels and Premium Stand-Alone Restaurants, for the first time in any Indian wine competition an independent panel of five international Master of Wines, including Sonal Holland, was formed to bring their global experience and unmatched expertise to the judging process. The panelists included:
• Richard Hemming MW (United Kingdom): London-based wine-writer, educator and Consultant
• Ying Hsien Tan MW (Singapore): Singapore’s first Master of Wine and owner of the Taberna Wine Academy
• Andrea Pritzker MW (Australia): Sydney-based independent wine consultant, WSET educator, writer and a public speaker
• Victoria Burt MW (United Kingdom): Research & Development Manager at the Wine & Spirits Education Trust.

“Receiving a massive 353 nominations, the India Wine Awards has established itself as the country’s apex wine
competition, built on the four pillars of integrity, authenticity, credibility and relevance. It is our commitment to develop India’s wine industry, rewarding excellence. The 2018 India Wine Awards showcases the depth and versatility of Indian wines to the globe, while offering a platform for international labels to reach out to the domestic market. For the urban Indian, wine is a cultural disruptor. Wine has sparked more conversations beyond
what we could have ever imagined. Serving as the ultimate consumer guide, the India Wine Awards helps wine consumers navigate a labyrinth of seemingly impossible choices, to select the perfect wine for the occasion." said Sonal.

The award ceremony end with some lip-smacking  class food from  the Leela, Mumbai as they brought in they brought the best out from their restaurants namely Jamavar, Great Wall and their uber luxurious fine dine , the Le Cirque which also won an award that evening. 

Check the award winners for India Wine Awards 2018 here

( Excerpt from a release)