Stretching across much of western peninsular India, the state of Karnataka is divided into its coastal belt and its inland areas by the ranges of the Western Ghats. Karnataka is well located with Goa’s tourism-boosted wine market on its western doorstep, and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh’s major metropolis, Hyderabad, on its east, a city booming with pharmaceutical and IT industries and thus a significant consumer of wine. Bangalore (now officially Bengaluru), the state capital, itself has 8.5 million inhabitants and a buzzing commercial life due to its IT industry, and one cannot ignore the coastal university city of Mangalore or the tourist destination of Mysore. The extraordinary extent of the state can be understood only when considering the distance from the Indian Ambience Vineyards in Bidar in northern Karnataka to the Alpine Wineries in Mandya near Mysore in the south – approximately 800 kilometres!

• White: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Marsanne, Muscat (my suspicion is that this is Symphony, a cross between the Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris), Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Vermentino, Viognier
• Red: Bangalore Blue, Bangalore Purple, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Malbec, Merlot, Sangiovese, Shiraz, Tannat, Zinfandel

• Bijapur and northern Karnataka: located on the border of Maharashtra with most vineyards scattered around the town of Bijapur and in the Krishna valley; a source of highly ripe grapes for the larger brands
• Hampi Hills: a most unexplored and terribly young region with minuscule production but terrific potential; fairly inaccessible, breathtakingly beautiful terrain
• Bangalore and the South: produces high quality wines; benefits from high elevation and moderate climate; on the doorstep of the state capital