And now for something completely different... Indian wine

Of course, delegations aren't all about meetings in air-conditioned offices. Occasionally, you get to do something unusual and on this trip, the most unexpected event was our visit to to Deccan Plateau Vineyards. This is the first vineyard in India to be owned and run by Indians, as other vineyards have either imported winemakers from overseas, or are owned by overseas purchasers.

Now I've travelled pretty widely in pursuit of wine. Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina have been my favourites, but I've found good wine in less obvious places - Bolivia produces at least one good riesling, for example. However, a winery in its second year was unlikely to produce wine of a decent quality, right?

Wrong. As the delegation discovered, the potential for decent wine is certainly there, and Nitin Shinde, the winemaker, is producing red wines with real potential. I bought three bottles myself as gifts for later in the trip, and I am confident that we will be hearing more about Indian wine in the future.