Wine Anyone?

Anastasia

Hello all,
I will be moving to Amedabad with my boyfriend this fall for appx 2 years. I realize alcohol is illegal for natives in Gujarat, but that an alcohol permit can be issued for foreigners.
Other than being able to transport 2 bottles with us on the plane, does anyone know if you can ship alcohol into Gujarat without getting in trouble with the police/government? I believe I read that wine is next to impossible to get at the liquor centers in Gujarat - is this true?

We are avid red wine drinkers, and it would be a shame (for us!) not to be able to enjoy it for the time we are in India.

Isn't it funny to realize what you are used to having access to?? I'm sure as we get closer to the move, more and more things will come up!

Thank you for your time...

capt_mahajan

Wherever prohibition exists, alcohol which gives the maximum kick per unit volume is the easiest to get.

So, you will get whisky more easily than beer.

Wine is lowwww down on that list, unfortunately,

butterball

'Indian' red wine may not really be what you want to drink and buying imported wine will be virtually impossible if not financially prohibitive..

I've been to Gujarat a couple of times and not felt the need to buy a drink - but I guess 2 years is a long spell! I did get 'offers' to find me 'liquor' (ie IMFL whiskys and beer for a premium) and I believe there is an informal smuggling network in place and a 'private' drink at home might be very hard to deter

I'm not sure about foreign 'licences' though... Sounds unusual to me

machadinha

<cross-posted with Butterball. Yes, I believe a foreigner's licence does exist, if I'm not mixed up with places like Pakistan. In some other states and in the past, a licence is/was available to all I think, it's just expensive. Isn't this the case in Tamil Nadu still? I believe this pertains more to the right to sit in fancy bars though.>

But Capt. (or anyone), do you know if this proposition could get one into trouble? Never gave it any thought lugging some whiskey around there (well, I might not leave the empty bottle in my hotel room so as not to possibly offend the hotel keepers. I guess I interpreted it more in terms of devout religiosity than of illegality, possibly naively so.) By the crateful though... hm, I just don't know. Would anyone care?

ps Anastasia, India wouldn't be high on my list as a wine sampling country either, however you'll find some threads on this site where various brands get discussed. Apparently there are some decent ones around these days and improving, wine growing has only really taken off in a substantial way in relatively recent times I think. If they're easy to get a hold of, no idea. What is euphemistically known as a "wine shop" in India is usually very much a (hard) liquor & beers store, indeed, and as you noted, Gujarat won't have any.

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Aishah

I have no idea if Border police check if alcohol is coming into Gujarat - but I have heard that many from there regularly go to Udaipur to stock up their supplies and take them home. So I imagine it may be quite lax in this regard.

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butterball

In TN there are "permit rooms" where tourists and Indian residents can (and do!) happily drink without any bought licence..

If you like a tipple, I always recommend buying your full allowance at the airport (spirits are the most obvious choice) before you leave. From London you even get 1 litre spirits in plastic bottles for easy packing. Ironically if you transit in some Middle Eastern countries, the duty free choice is bewildering

capt_mahajan

If you mean the licence, no.

I used one regularly in Hyderabad many years ago, when there was prohibition here (NRI's are allowed, too). Except for the fact that I had to go five kilometers to buy booze from an authorised outlet, no problems. And I brought in booze from abroad and other states, too, legally.

Anastasia

Thank you - I have looked into the new wine areas starting in India....interesting!

Cap't - how did you "legally" bring in wine from other states and countries?

What about relatives shipping from out of the country - would customs stop the shipment? Seems like a solution that is way too expensive...

machadinha

<cross-posted with Anastasia just now>

No, I meant the taking in of say a box of wine or two as a firang. In keeping with some of the above, I doubt if anyone would bat an eyelid really (other than for the regular customs deals). But then I can't promise you that.

Thanks for everyone's otherwise clear elucidations in any case Kind of fills in the picture, as always, doesn't it.

capt_mahajan

You need to get a permit. In Hyderabad, they would issue you that at the airport. So you just came into the country with your allowed quota and got the permit at the airport after landing.

Once you have a permit, you use it to bring stuff from other states when you travel. Of course, you bring in much more than the permitted figures.

Or buy locally with the permit.

edwardseco

Important since the older Indian wines are undrinkable in my opinion..

puchoo

There are a lot of brands coming in now which are definitively worth a try... Sula , Seagram's has some luxury wine as well (cant remember the name) , and a brand from Himachal as well called Sutter House..

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edwardseco

Always like a good tip on wine!!

federica

Isn't Daman and Diu a place where people from Gujarat buy their liquour?

I think you can forget about the regular glass of wine in the evening, it's just not the right place there. You might feel like a drug addicted constantly busy to get the wine as it is not easily available....

capt_mahajan

Chantilly isn't bad either, and is cheaper than sula