London: Conglomerate United Breweries Group, owned by industrialist Vijay Mallya, plans to export large-scale Indian wine to Britain, starting with three brands later this year.
The world's second-biggest spirits manufacturer plans to mimic the successful roll-out of its Indian lager Kingfisher by distributing the red and white wines through Indian restaurants before moving to supermarkets.
Vijay Rekhi, managing director of United spirits, UB's drinks arm, told The Sunday Telegraph, "We have the capacity to produce around 10 million bottles annually. However, for the UK launch we would hope to start by importing 10 containers (120,000 bottles) in the first year."
The company has already signed distribution agreements with two importers and distributors and hopes to see the wines hit the market by the autumn.
The wine will make its debut in the UK market at this week's London International Wine Fair.
The Indian wine industry, based in Maharashtra and Karnataka, has been developing rapidly in recent years.
The country has 40 wineries producing 1.5 million cases of wine per year. However, capacity and the local market have been growing at up to 25 per cent per annum.
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