VOA慢速英语2014 A Love of Wine Grows in India

 

AS IT IS 2014-12-10 A Love of Wine Grows in India

Indians who like alcohol usually choose whiskey as their drink. But, slowly, wine is growing more popular in the country. India's first vineyard, a farm where grapes used to make wine are grown, is named Sula. It began operations 15 years ago.

Sula vineyards is in Nashik in northwestern Maharashtra state. Software engineer Nagesh Kamble and his wife Snehal have come to the hilly vineyard from Pune, about two hundred kilometers south. The young couple wanted to learn how wine is made. They began drinking wine at a special event two years ago.

“It was in Pune when there was a wine tasting festival going on."

Snehal Kamble tells why the couple chose this time to come to Sula.

“…it is our anniversary this week, so we are kind of celebrating.”

Sula Vineyards is India's largest Indian wine-maker. Ten years ago it opened a tasting room to create a wine culture among people like the Kambles. About 200,000 people visit every year. It is especially busy on weekends.

Visitors explore the vineyards. Then, they learn how to taste wine to best enjoy the blend of flavors.

Indian tradition has not been approving of alcoholic¹ drinks. And until now, whiskey is the kind of alcohol that the general public has accepted.

Neeraj Agarwal is vice² president of Sula Vineyards. He has seen the change that has taken place since the company struggled to sell its first several thousand bottles of wine in 2000. Last year Sula sold more than seven million bottles. Mr. Agarwal believes that wine is helping³ change opinion about alcohol.

“In five years, the scenario⁴ has completely changed. Earlier talking about alcohol in the open and seeing a woman having a glass of wine in hand was a taboo⁵. Now, it’s wonderful, families coming, sitting together and enjoying.”    

Visitors to Sula Vineyards agree. Information technology professional Akshay Rajguru is getting some wine for his friends.

“It is for good times, that’s it…in India people treat liquor as bad thing, but it’s not that bad, I would say it is in the mind actually.”

Young professionals are the main supports of the growth in India’s wine market. The market is expanding at about 13 percent a year. Over the last 10 years, 90 wineries have opened across Karnataka and Maharashtra states, where the climate is favorable for growing wine grapes.

Indian women still represent a very small number of the wine drinkers in the country.  About three percent of women in India have at least one drink a year. But their numbers are growing more than twice as fast as men.  

There are several reasons for this. One is that more women have joined the workforce⁶ in the last ten years and have independent incomes. In big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, women buying wine or having a drink is no longer considered unacceptable.

Once a week or so, 32-year-old Pallavi Kohli heads out for a drink at a restaurant or a pub.

“I love unwinding with a glass of wine over the weekends, especially when there is no movie to watch, and going out with my friends.”

Subhash Arora found the Delhi Wine Club in 2002. He says now 40 percent of its members are women.

“It is basically a lifestyle drink anyway. So when they go out to parties or outings, now they say ‘OK, a glass of wine is fine.’”

However, the wine culture is still restricted to the country’s main cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Wine companies are now targeting the smaller towns.

Mr. Agarwal of Sula Vineyards says the alcohol industry is not permitted to advertise. But he says they reach out to the public through wine festivals, fashion shows and music festivals. 

The wine industry hopes that the market will continue to grow as incomes increase and life styles change in India.

1 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

5 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？

6 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。