India: Viticulture

India’s 111,000 ha/274,287 acres of vineyards produce more than 1.2 million tons of grapes a year, of which less than 10% are used for wine while the bulk is used as table grapes and raisins. Established vineyards of mainly table grapes are found in the temperate north west of the country and as far south as the state of Tamil Nadu. Two-thirds of the country’s area under vine, however, is in the south-central states of Mahārāshtra (86,000 ha/212,510 acres), Karnataka (18,100 ha/44,726 acres), and Tamil Nadu (2,700 ha/6,672 acres). In Mahārāshtra, cultivation is concentrated around Pune, Nāsik, Baramati, Sangali, and Sholhāpur on the west of the Deccan Plateau, about 300 km/180 miles in length and 60 km in width, 135 km inland from Mumbai. The remainder of southern India’s plantings are near Bangalore and around Hyderābād.