But South Africa was the show's star, winning three golds.

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Wine people have been talking up the emerging "power markets" of India and China in recent years, and while victory in China is proving a little trickier than was first thought, the road to Kiwi success in India has just been smoothed by Saint Clair Family Estate.

The Marlborough-based company took home the best white wine award at the Indian Wine Challenge last month with its 2009 sauvignon blanc.

In all, 218 wines were submitted for the three-day taste expo held in Mumbai from January 28-30.

However, while Saint Clair savoured its success, some Spanish wineries were decidedly downcast, as "customs issues" meant almost 90 wines never made it to the event. It is believed that the freight company the wineries used had not paid duty, despite the wineries paying up front.

"Customs were demanding taxes which we refused to pay. We may have renegotiated them down but feel it is too late now," Grupo Garvey's export manager Kettle Gronni said. "We are very disappointed we have come all this way and cannot showcase our wines."

Problems with delayed billing and payment for many other wines entered in the expo and competition meant a lot of product was held back by Indian customs during the event.

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World-renowned wine expert Robert Joseph, who chaired the Indian Wine Challenge, said: "It was still an efficiently run competition once the wines arrived, but let's just say it was quite a bumpy ride behind the scenes."

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Despite Saint Clair's success, it was South Africa that emerged the star of the Indian show, winning three gold medals.

Indian industry buyers were quoted as saying they were deleting wines from Australia, Spain and Napa to make room for South African wines.

Top marks to:

* Mike and Claudia Weersing, from Pyramid Valley, as their 2007 Calvert Vineyard Bannockburn pinot noir was named Wine of the Week in the Los Angeles Times recently.

* Hawke's Bay winemakers, who wowed a contingent of some of the globe's most influential wine press and trade with some world-class wines during last week's cabernet merlot forum and syrah symposium.

* Alastair Maling MW and his team at Pinot Noir 2010, for luring internationally renowned wine writers, makers, merchants and sommeliers to Wellington earlier this month for the second tri- annual pinot noir conference. The increasingly high levels of quality and improved ageability of New Zealand pinot noir impressed the international wine set so much they all had to go out and pandora beads buy new pants.

* Those intrepid vinophiles heading to the Marlborough Wine Festival in Blenheim this weekend - remember to drink lots of water, eat some food, and slip, slop, slap before you swirl, sniff, sip, swallow or spit your way through the 67 wineries that are offering their wares.

Something of a Renaissance

Speaking of Blenheim, one of the best things to come from that place since sauvignon blanc is beer.

Over the past five years, the boys at Renaissance have been brewing some highly awarded beverages - and, unlike 90 per cent of the world, they're not brewing lager. They're totally devo
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