Importing wine into India sounds like a lucrative business proposition. But if that is really the case, why have some companies shut down and so many others are struggling to stay afloat? Without further ado, here is a step-by-step explanation of the various stages of duties, taxes, and other levies that an importer has to pay in order to get wine into India. India is best regarded as a giant subcontinent, a unified entity wherein each smaller part adheres to the larger central administration but then each state also has its own set of exclusive laws which can be (and most often are) entirely different from the central laws as also from those of other and/or neighbouring states. Three states will be covered in this entry: Delhi, Maharashtra (Mumbai/Bombay), and Karnataka (Bengaluru/Bangalore).
One last caveat: all taxes and levies are applied in a cumulative manner, which further inflate the final price much beyond the mathematical sum of all the individual tax/levy percentages.
The following additions are common to all foreign wine, no doubt which state they are destined for. However, these are not levied on wines of India being sent from one state to another.
- 1. Let us start with a wine at 1 Euro, CIF. It arrives into India and a 1% levy is added, and what we arrive at is then the assessable value (AV).
- 2. Next comes the Central duties, aka Customs. This is 150% on the AV and then, to that is added an extra 4%. The cumulative customs levies amount to 160%, thus giving us the customs-paid price (CPP).
- 3. To this the importer will add his margin, safe to assume anything up to 20%. Let’s call this new amount now the Importer’s Price (IP).
- 4. The Importer will take this forward and hand it to the distributor for the respective state for where the shipment/lot is destined. Thereon, the levies will vary for different states.
DELHI
I. The wine labels need to be registered for the period of one financial year, from April-March. Cost – INR5000/annum/label. So a house bringing a white and a red wine from their own Domaine (even if with the same brand name) will have to register them as two different wines.
II. The wine will now be levied with a Vend Fee, which is 65% of the IP as mentioned above. It is called Vend Fee although it is a state levy. Why not Excise? Hmm, we’ll get to that later, maybe. Let’s call this vend-fee paid price (VFPP).
III. En suite, we add the distributor’s margin, which, safe to assume, can be about 15% of the value, thus giving us the distributor price (DP).
IV. The retailer will buy the wine at DP, and will have a quasi-fixed margin, say about INR50/-. I say quasi-fixed as the state government sets the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for all wines sold within the state of Delhi. Not very lucrative to be retailing wine then really. Oh wait, the law reads, either INR50/- per bottle or else 15% of the MRP, whichever is lower! Yep, that’s it. Fifty measly rupees.
V. Finally, a 20% VAT when one buys the wine. Strange, how a wine has excise and VAT both levied on it…oh wait, that wasn’t excise. That was a ‘Vend Fee’. Not the same thing. Oh no, not at all. All’s well then.
MAHARASHTRA
I. The registration here is INR5000/wine/annum.
II. The excise policy is simpler here. INR225/bottle for an MRP up to INR6000. Beyond that, it is 5% of MRP. Simple, that. Also, effective as it makes expensive wines become a better deal whereas the levy ensures level-playing field for entry-level foreign wines and local Indian wines, for the latter too have their tax-and-levy woes to have addressed.
III. Then it is the distributor’s margin, which can be somewhat similar to Delhi.
IV. The retailor here can add his clean 12% cut.
V. VAT stays.
KARNATAKA
I. The Karnataka State Beverage Corporation Limited (KSBCL) controls all distribution of alcohol for the state.
II. Registration is INR10,000/wine/annum.
III. They levy an excise levy of INR225/bottle.
IV. KSBCL then commands a 0.5% (distributor) margin.
V. Retailer adds 10%.
VI. No VAT! Hurrah! Why? Really!? You wish to know why they don’t charge more? Well, since they already added the margin above in point IV. But it is one most sensibly tagged margin of 0.5%.
Hope this helps outline the system, or rather, systems, prevalent in India. Sure some of you may find them inexplicably prohibitive but I know many places where the laws can be even more quirkily archaic.
Once again, this is a sketch and it merely outlines the structure of the duties and taxes. It leaves out certain details – Octroi in Mumbai, Chemical Analysis costs for new wines being registered in a state, etc. Margins commanded by both distributor and importer can always vary, depending on order size and distance from warehouse, as also other conditions of delivery (for e.g. using a refrigerated truck versus an open tempo.)
The idea was not to create a detailed flowchart for prospective exporters around the world but to merely highlight how a wine price will change to reflect the various additions along the route.
A bit discouraging some of you may feel but I can assure you that a lot of wine still sells in India. How come? –Because Indians are used to these pricings. Sure we drink better when we travel but in India, especially for those who have travelled extensively, or lived or worked abroad, and have inculcated this habit, they surely do try to keep up with it as much as they can stretch to allow themselves a glass to go with their meals. In other words, we may not be lapping up the Grands Crus and the Super-wherevers of the wine world just yet, but we are building slowly yet steadily into a formidable wine-consuming nation.
As a personal observation, if I may dare-add, in the long run, the taxes will change. They will modify in a manner that expensive wines will stand to gain from it. Lower-priced wines will face a two-edged sword: the burden of high levies and the rise in the overall quality of Indian wines which shall make it ever more competitive in the retail space in that (affordable) price segment. The discerning Indian vino will soon be one who appreciates his Barolos and Barossas, (his Champagnes and his Cape Blends, I add, for political correctitude) and enjoys them from time to time, but will sip more and more locally produced wines to quench his quotidian thirst. It’s not a bad thing at all. Good cheers all around then!
(Given my lack of dexterity with uploading a worksheet, I am happy to provide the spreadsheets to help work the calculations for the states mentioned. You may write in requesting me it. Don’t forget to say please.)
A very informative article simplifying the understanding of one of the most complicated & bureaucratic taxation systems in the world. Can I PLEASE have a copy of the worksheets? Thanks in advance!
interesting to knw the different type of taxes levy on imported wines , which makes them so much expensive , if u could tell us abt the pricing strategy of indian wines to , i will be very grateful to u.
i mailed you. do revert for more details. cheers!
sir,
i found ur article very informative.cd u please send me the detailed work out on landed cost for wine as i am planning to import and sell in india- karnatak and maharashtra.
kindly help
indra
mailed. Hope you received it.
Very informative. Thanks much for putting it together. Could you PLEASE send me the worksheets?
absolutely! you did say ‘please’… 🙂
Hi Magan,
This article is great. Can you send me more information? May we can together as well!
Best
Hi Magan,
Fantastic article. To the point and full of information. If it is possible, please can you email me a copy of your detailed workings? I am very eager to learn more of what is happening in this space.
Thank you
Hi, very nice article. Can you please email me the worksheet.
Hi
Can u plz send me more details incl the worksheets
I am particularly interested in delhi. Mumbai
Thanks a lot!
Dear Mr. Magan,
I work with a logistics company and need guidance on how an individual can import wine into India for personal consumption. He lives in India and wants to import wine.
Importing wines for personal consumptions is tricky. he might be required to declare values and pay duties for the bottles, unless it can be classified (and is permissible under) transfer of residence…
Mind boggling-and to think I was contemplating importing wines from ZA.
Please may I have the work sheet………..Merci
Hi Magan,
Could you please send me the worksheets
A very informative and helpful article indeed. Please help me by providing the worksheet. Also can you tell me if it will be viable to bring cheaper french wines to maharashtra as I have a contact in France who is in position to supply wines of varied price range as per the demand.
Hello Magan,
Your article is really interesting. Would it be possible to send me your excel worksheet please? Thanks a lot
As soon as I’ll manage to import my wines in India, of course you’ll receive many samples.
Thanks again for your really really useful information
A very informative and helpful article .Please help me by providing the worksheet. Also can you please help in my query, I am planning to import fruit wine in Maharashtra and want to market it with my own brand so what will be additional duties or licences I need to apply
Hi Magan.
I am a supplier of fine New Zealand wines from New Zealand. Your article seems to be informative enough to give me a rough idea about the wine culture in India. However, what is your take on the demand of fine New zealand wine in India and what states are the ones that may be keen to sip some fine quality wine.
Also if you “please” forward me the spreadsheet that you are talking about and correct me if I am worng but I guess the import duty has dropped to 30% from 150%.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Cheers Rich.
Dear Magan,
Thank you for your article. Would you please share your worksheet with me? Thanks much!
Could you send me a copy of the spreadsheet.pl.
Thanks
Hi Magan ,
Thank you for bringing such a informative analysis of taxes & hidden costs associated with importing Wines to India . I am based in Australia & planning to get some hands on to this industry . I will highly appreciate if you can please ( Mentioned please) send me the workings for landed cost . Also , do you have any information on Chandigarh ??
Thank you for your assistance
Regards
Sonia
Hi Magan,
Could you please send me the work sheet. The article is very informative but sure is scary at the same time.
Dear Magan,
Excellent your article. could you send it to me please?
I am an Argentinean exporter of wines, if you want to start your own business of importing wine just e mail to me, or if you know some importer of wine contact to me , because we want tos tart making business with India Market.
Best regards
Dear Magan
An excellent article!
Please would you send me a copy of the worksheet.
Many Thanks
Many thanks for the article and please send me the worksheets. Kind regards.
Salut Magan,
pouvez-vous s’il vous plaît envoyez-moi les feuilles de calcul.
merci! 🙂
Hi Magan,
A good article to the point in the right time as I am planning to import wines into India from Europe and Australia. Thanks for the write up.
Can you please send me the information and worksheets?
Thanks,
Kind Regards,
Babs Srini
Hi Sir,
Your article is really informative .I request you to please share your worksheet.
As i have to incorporate a company for one of my client who wants to import Wine.
Thanks & Regards
Shazan
I am an entreprenuer and am looking to start the import of wines.I would like to thank you for this article as it is very informative.Could you kindly send me the worksheet mentioned herein so I could have a clearer picture on the costings and details of the wine.
Further I would like to thank you for all the effort put in by you to make this.
Regards
hi your article is very informative. can i please have worksheets?? also i would like to have your suggestion, as an exporter fro australia, which state should i choose to import my wine in india in your opinion? thanks
HI Magan,
This was a good read; I found your article insightful. It helps open one’s eyes to the level of complexity of foreign wine in India. If I could get a detailed version of your worksheet, I would much appreciate it.
Dear Mr. Magan,
I work in Nigeria and I need your guidance on how my company (registered in Mumbai and have base in Bangalore) can import wine into India for whole sale/ distribution in Karnataka. Please guide me how the ratio should be for Red & White if the quantity is one 40ft container with average and premium grade wine from France.
Your informative explanations inspired me to come back to you for more guidance. Please assist me by providing the worksheet.
Regards.
Thanks Awaiting.
Sadanandan V. A
Hi Magan,
Great work. Could you please send the work sheets:)
Thanks again for sharing the information.
-Saurabh
Dear Magan,
Thanks for the informative article. Could you please email your detailed working/flow sheet to me
Just curious, is this the same procedure/duties applicable to all entities or are concessions provided for entities such as 5-star hotels etc?
Could a foreign supplier not price his wine very low in order to get past duties and sell at his normal rate to the end buyer/client or are there any measures which curtail such practices ?
Hi Magan
A very informative and clear explanation of wine duties in India.
Can I please have a copy of the spreadsheet?
Thanks
Harsharan
Hi Magan,
Thanks for the great insight. Please reply to akshat’s question as i was also thinking the same regarding 5 star hotels. Please email me the worksheet also.
Regards,
Vipul
A very informative article. Can you please send me worksheet as well? Thanks in advance.
kindly please send me the worksheet thx
I am also planing to import from australia. and I am talking with Aus company.
Could you send me a copy of the spreadsheet.pl.
Thanks
Magan,
Thanks for this informative article, would you be able to share your analysis worksheet please?
Thanks in advance!
An exquisite article and so well elucidated.thanks.
Can u please send me more details and the worksheets
I am particularly interested in Delhi. Mumbai.Kolkata,Bangalore,Hyderabad and Chennai.
Hello Magan,
Thanks for a good read. Your article was very informative. I recently met a Wine producer who was interested in bringing his wine to India.
I would appreciate if you could ” please ” send me the work sheet.
If this does go ahead then I would be inviting you to a wine tasting evening I am organising soon.
Hope you are based in Mumbai for you to be able to make it.
Thank you very much.
hello please email me further details will be thank ful
Can you please please share the sheet with me? Thanks you in advance. Do you know what if bulk wine is imported?
Hi All,
I work for a french wine-maker and we are currently looking for clients interested in importing wines from us into India. We have a asian distribution office in Hong Kong , which is much closer to Indian ports than Bordeaux. If any interest, please contact me at vivat(dot)jay(at)gmail(dot)com
Merci
Dear Megan,
Your article is truly informative and extremely useful in helping me clarify various concerns regarding importing wines in India. And nonetheless, your experience and knowledge of this field is most impressive.
I am working on to import wine from Argentina and chilly in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru regions. I would request you to provide me your detailed worksheet, please.
Sincerely
Himanshu
Hi,
Can you please email me the worksheet too?
Really nice article…could you please send me the detailed working sheet for better understanding.
Thanks again 🙂
Dear Magan,
very interestin information, could you please send me the worksheep?
I’m trying to export wines to India, and it has been a really hard work… maybe all this information could help us.
Thank you vey much in advance,
Best regars. Mireia
Hi Magan,
Very informative article. Will you please give more details on chemical analysis of wines, procedures and cost in Karnataka. Also request you to provide the spreadsheet on cost to import.
regards
Sunil
Magan,
Thanks for the info. I’d really appreciate it if you could send me a copy of the spreadsheet!
Cheers!
P
Hello Magan,
Can you tell me the procedure for a foreign company to send their liquor samples to India. Is the procedure the same for wines and spirits? What are the charges involved in sending samples? What is the maximum quantity they can send as samples?
Hi Magan
Very informative piece, please culd you send me a copy of the Excel sheet too?
Many thanks
Bal
Dear Magan,
Very informative article. It seems importing wine in India might be risky and might not be the best strategy for supplying wine. Nevertheless, India is huge potential market for wine. If one thinks about the two ways wine can be supplied i.e. importing wine and producing wine from indian grapes, then what according to you would be the best way to exploit this market. Also, I was wondering if one could bypass this label cost which means rather than supplying wine on a commercial basis one could just be the postman and deliver only the wines that the customers ask for.
I would like to start supplying wines in India as i think its a huge market.
Could you please forward me your excel sheet and any opinions you might have.
best,
Karan
Dear Magan,
I really appreciate if could send the working file of this information
Hi Magan,
Great article. Could you please email me the detailed worksheet? Thanks in advance.
Read your article, very aptly said, a novice can understand the calculations.
We are basically a Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, based marketing orgnaization and are planning to import wine from countries like Turkey, Bolivia, Argentina,
Australia, New Zeland.
Can you Please inform me my landing cost for the state of Andhra Pradesh – ciity Hyderabad.
Awaiting to hear from you please
Anup Kumar
I don’t generally enjoy lifestyle blogs but yours is really very well written. You’re humorous, informative and have great perspective. The world needs more writers like you. Please continue your writing, its a shame it ended here!
Can you please send me your worksheet? Thanks so much!
Hi :
Do send the worksheets; esp. Maharashtra, mentioned in the blog PLEASE. Have more to say to you, but wait for your reply and will correspond with you on matters of mutual interest. Thanks and regards,
Really appreciate the way you have articulated this topic.
I’m planning to import wine and would be really interested to know the details on the landing cost calculation.
Could you please share the calculation sheet.
Thanks
Shiv
Dear Magan,
Fantastic article. Very informative specially for fine wine lovers. I am sure all the wine lovers will agree it is not fair to pay so many taxes to enjoy a good wine. Where rest of the world do enjoy a fine wine for fraction of the cost. I hope the import duties will be reduced soon. If you could send me the worksheet that will be much appreciated. Looking forward for your e-mail
Thank you,
Shreyas
Plz mail me worksheet. Thanks
Hatsoff for writing it so simple and informative. I am planing to import wine as well , but for my personal consumption. Can you suggest would it still have so many levies ?? And do I need some license to import ??
Great information shared & very informative. I would appreciate if you can send across the details.
Just want what I have been looking for !! Great article and very well written indeed.
Could you please email me your excel spreadsheet? Many thanks
Varun
Dear Mr Magan
I am interested in getting the following information regarding Japanese Sake import to Banglore ; Would it be possible for you collect soem information and let me know the cost regarding this research( Urgently)
I will send you the mail on you personal mail if you agree.
Thankyou
MPSingh
can i have the e-mail of the detailed worksheets, thanks!!
Hi Magan and everyone else on the comments,
I’m lookinf for an importer and distributor in India. We are a New Zealand based company making wines, liqueurs and other unique spirits. Please email me at liz @exoticaenterprise.com.
kind regards,
Hi Magan,
Thanks for the information.We are interested in Importing Austrian wines to Inda and nepal.
Need more information on the same.Also PLEASE MAIL ME THE WORKSHEET
Winingly yours
Ravi
Dear Sir,
We are just getting into the import of spirits and beer into India and specifically Bangalore. I have found the whole duty structure to be a little confusing and hence am not able to do the right pricing.
I was wondering if you could please be kind enough to send the worksheet for spirits and beers for karnataka.
It will help us a lot.
Thanking you in advance,
Warm Regards
Dhruv Mohta
Hello,
Thank you for an extremely informative article. Can you please send me the worksheet as well and any info you may have on Haryana (Gurgaon) will also be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Dear Mr. Magan ,
Thank you so much for such enlightening information.
I am working for small italian company that would like to sell their wines in India.
I would be most gratefull if you cuould share with me the workings for landed cost . Please…
Thank you so much in advance!
Looking foward to hearing from you, Kind regards,
Ila
Hi Magan,
As everyone mentioned it is a very very good article. Can I have your worksheet please? would like to know How one can send samples of liquor to Maharashtra? Has the taxes really come down to 30%?
Cheers,
Preeti
HI, i would like to know what taxes the importer and distributor has to pay for importing wine. if you could please email it to me.
Extremely interesting to read your article. Could you please mail me the spreadsheets!!! Cheers (y)
Great information. Can you please mail me the cost sheet of working for karnataka.
Thanks
Hi,
I m a wine exporter from France and i export red rose and white wines. I m searching for distributors in India. If anyone interested please contact me
on arun.dayanithi@yahoo.fr
Dear Sir
Very important information you provide in this article. Kindly advise any other licence is required and kindly send your working. We are planing for import in Mumbai in a large quantity
Regards
C R Titus
Thanks, please send me the spreadsheets as well.
Is there a wine storage facility in Delhi?
Kumar
Dear Magan,
Nice informative article. Can you please send me the Spreadsheet as well.
Regards
Gohar
Nice article can you send excel sheet for Delhi
Hi Magan,
Great article and I can see a lot of hard work has been done to put together this article. I was wondering if in your research you come across the licensing requirement to import wine and alcohol in India? I would really appreciate if you could share your finding in this matter and also please share the spreadsheet with your research.
Many thanks in advance!
Hi,
Thanks for this informative article, would you be able to share your analysis worksheet please?.
Thanks in advance
Hi,
It is a very informative article.
Could you please email me a copy of the worksheet?
Kind regards,
Varun
Thank you for bringing such a informative analysis of taxes & hidden costs associated with importing Wines to India . I am planning to get some wine brands to import as distributor. I will highly appreciate if you can please ( Mentioned please) send me the workings for landed cost . Also , do you have any information on Chandigarh ??
Hey magan …great work ..this article really helped me ..we are planning to import wine from chile..we have a good source there …pleaasseee ..mail me your spread sheet with cost bifurcations..we are put up in mumbai ..it will be great if we can meet and share some more insight about the industry ..
Thanks
Rohit ..
Hi Magan
thanks for the article, it was really helpful.
could u please share your spread sheet, it would be more helpful to me.
i have a good contacts in Spain, Portugal and Italy, so, am thinking of importing wine from these countries.
And If you have any information about importing wine in Tamilnadu, please share it too.
thanks i advance
Hi. Magan, Very Interesting disection of the wine import story. Please advise if we can meet to discuss strategy to introduce wines in India from overseas and how best you can contribute to making things work rather than have a
pessimistic outlook of too much competition.
Please send me the updated spreadsheets for calculations of costs on duty paid basis and reaching retailer desk.
I am also interested in offers from overseas for wines for marketing in India but with ability to support marketing . Ram
Dear Mr. Magan,
I want to thank you for your posting, it really did help me a lot.
However, can you please provide with your whole worksheets so we can fulfill further analysis.
Thank you in advance,
Regards,
Vadim
Respected Sir,
As I am planning to import wine from Nepal to begin with and I would be extremely grateful to you if you could Please send me the spread sheet to help me better.
Sir, thank you for such a wonderful write-up as it has given me a better insight of wine imports.
Wishing you and your family well:)
Regards
Pranay
Hi
If you could please forward the worksheets that would be appreciated. The article is great. I have got storage location in delhi and i am looking to import Australian & Newzealand wine, I am based in Melbourne.
Thanks
Regards
Varun
Hi all
I am planning to export wine from New Zealand to india and I would welcome if any distributors in India is interested.. Great article by Magan and can u pls email the spreadsheet please . Thank you
Hi Megan,
Super crisp and helpful article!
1. Would be great if you could send me the calc. sheet. (please 😉
2. I’m planning to bring Champagne into India, to sell to distributors. Any advice or ideas on possible show-stoppers would be super!!!
Thanks,
Sanne
Great work Magan! Please send through the excel worksheet for all the 3 states mentioned in your article.
I would like you to clarify if the duties and taxes have changed since the time you wrote this article; if so, then what has specifically changed.
Thanks a lot.
Great work!!!!!!….thanks for the information……I am a Chilean Wine producer and I am very interested in exporting red wine (cabernet sauvignon and carmenere)…I want to focus my future custumers, delivering a great wine with a good bouquet, strong and bodliy wine, at a good good price… say $US 13 to 16 dollares a bottle.
Chile has one of the best wines in the world!!
hopefully yo can send me more information to pursey this goal and help me out with the taxes….and if anyone is interested we can coordinate to send samples !!
Best regards and Thanking you in advance !!
hello magan,
this article is very helpful for people like me, i am no different from the other 91 who have already posted on your article.
each one of us is just trying to have as much knowledge as we can before entering in this filed.
it is so hard to imagine that how much we are charged for importing wines to india.
i would really like to have a copy of your work done so that i could make sure that i understand everything things more and make sure that i don’t miss any thing out.
please mail me a copy of your work.
thanks,
Arjun Kohli
Thnx bro, too gud as it stands simplified. One for me too.
hi, magan . good information .. in article.. will you send me the spread sheet of costing , please. its will great.
. Thanks lot
manoj
Hey Magan,
I was gathering some info on this, so as to decide upon the business opportunity. Since, the article was written in 2012, is the situation still the same.
Kindly share your calculation sheet so that I may also have math in place.
Regards,
Chetan Agrawal
agrawal.chetan@gmail.com
Nice article, Mr. Singh. Thinking of getting into the business of wines. Any help would be great from your side. To begin with, a copy of your spread sheet would be great. Could you please email me a copy? Also, how do I get in touch with you? Do you prefer emails, or can I call you? I’m from Mumbai. Cheers!
Hi Magan,
Its really a good article and very informative.
I am sure you have the worksheet of the same can you pls share that with me on yogesh2nagar@yahoo.com so that I can calculate something on the same
Thank a TON in advance
Yogesh Nagar
Dear sir,
Thanks, please be kind to send spreadsheet of wine, beer and spritis for delhi.
Regards
Ranjeet…
Hello Sir, It was really nice article to understand common man to know things. Could you please send me the work sheet. Just curious any other licence we do require to sell wine India.
Regards,
SHRINI
Hi Magan,
Interesting article and is really informative. Is there anyway we can get some information on importing and exporting Beer, Whiskey, and Rum also? We would like to get some detailed information on the same. Does these duties vary from state to state? Some guidance on this will be highly appreciated. I have mentioned my email ID.
Regards,
Sushma
Pls mail me a copy of worksheet, thanks
Hi,
You provided us more informative over the subject.
We have a party who can supply Beer / Wine to India – could you please share the business plan / spreed sheet which is more helpful to me put up a business case.
Regards,
Prashanth M R
Nice article.
Please can you send me an excel sheet for this
Thanks
Manish
Hey magan gr8 work can u pls mail me ur data.
Hello Mr. Magan,
I have read the above article abut importing wine to India which is very impressive, Can you please send a copy of the spread sheet, to look into it.
Regards
Kamal
Great Article Mr. Magan. Very informative and straight forward, succinct. May I request for the worksheets Please. Would you be kind enough to share them with me as well Please..
Best Regards,
Santhosh
Very informative article.
Thanks.
Hi
Magan i wanted to know what is your background in the wine industry, and where are you currently based.
Hi, interesting…can you please email me the worksheet
This is very usefull you have cut down my research by a quarter. Thanks for this great info. Can you please share the excel spread sheets
Your article is very helpful & thanks for the great info, would be grateful if you can provide the spread sheet of calculation
regards
Allow me some time to update and upload a new post with the relevant info not just for Delhi but also a few other states. Thanks for your encouraging comment.
Hi Magan,
Could you please share the spreadsheet?
Many thanks in advance.
Regards,
Partha
pardon the delayed revert but had some issues with my spam filter. All back on track. Allow me to put up a new post with tax regimes for Delhi as also a few other states shortly. Thanks for reading…
Hi Magan
Kindly mail me the excel sheets and any updates.
regards
Col Alok
Hi, interesting article can you please email me the worksheet and since this article was written in 2012 is it still valid or do you have an updated version.
Hi Magan,
Can you please update the post or let me know he updated costing for Wine importing in India?
Thanks in advance.
Rudraksh
Will do shortly and post something on it…
Interesting article. Good information. Can you please share your spread sheet with me.
Thanks
I am updating the sheet and shall upload a new version shortly.
Hi Magan
I just wanted to find out, I would like to order a couple of bottles of whiskey online, The company is from the UK and they deliver in india.
The duties in india are supposed to be paid by me. How much duty would be incurred?
Thanks and regards
Raj
Hey Raj,
Legally, you can not import stocks purely through courier. Or at least one is not supposed to. However, if some courier company is willing to expedite them to you, then they will tell you how much duty will be levied. the odd bit is, often when I have received samples from abroad, for the same set of wines I have paid different duties on different occasions due to the way the Customs department decided to ‘load’ the declared values of the bottles. Loading is done when they believe that the stated price is lower than the actual price of the product.
Since you say the company is already supplying to India (share deets with me on email, sign me up too!), expect to pay abotu 160% customs at least. I don’t know what the state excise policies are in such cases. But yeah, still should work out much cheaper than buying from a retail shop here. Slainte!
Dear Magandeep Singh,
It was a very informative article. Do you have any insight on the policies of other southern states, viz: Tamil nadu and Telangana. Do let me know if i can be in touch via email. Also can you share some information on consumption patterns in the South of India.
Thanks and regards,
Gautham
Honestly I don’t have the details on them. Kerala just went dry so that’s one less for now. But allow me to try and compile a report.
Hi Magandeep,
Fantastic Article & I found this extremely informative.
Can you please send me the latest updated worksheet that you mentioned above.
Best Regards
Uday
Coming early May. Promise!
Hi Mandeep,
Nice article it seems you have done the home work very well. Can you please email me the spreadsheet so that I can work out the prices. Does one also have to register the labels for importing and selling spirits in the various states?
Regards
Nirvair
May first week it shall be uploaded here. Thanks
Hi Magan
Thank for the article, Can you share with me the costing details for Karnataka.
I am looking for opportunity in this business.
Regards
sunil
I will upload a sheet for Maharashtra and Delhi by Early May; allow me to try and work on Karnataka as well.
Dear Sir,
Greetings. Your article id very insightful about importing wines and beers. We are looking forward to importing them as well. We seek your guidance , it would be helpful if we could get spreadsheet and calculations. Our emal is cxchts@gmail.com
Best Regards
Abhay
Early May is when the next sheet will be updated
Hi Magan
I am looking at exporting wines from NZ to India. Could you provide or recommend importers who would be interested & also some info on current taxes & duties would be much appreciated.
Kind Regards
Moloy
Hi, very good article !
Could you please send me the spreadsheet ?
Thanks a lot
Regards,
Fai
I resolve to publish a new updated sheet shortly. The policy should be drafted and circulated in the next few months for the coming year. Hope for some positive changes 🙂
hey ex-ihmtian
i didn’t understand the whole concept but yes i got a glimpse of what it takes to bring good wines to India. i am also a Ihm Mumbai student. hope you will accept my friend request on facebook. always been a admire your work ; what you have started in India as INDIAN SOMMELIER CHAMPIONSHIP.
Hello there 🙂
very impressive but iff we will do this business it will be profitable or not
Hi
Pardon the late reply. Site maintenance issues. Profitability, yes but one has to consider a long-term ROI. Short term aspects of this trade are low, very low.
Hello Magandeep,
Thanks so much for the article and all the info you give, would really appreciate it if you could please send me a copy of your new spreadsheet when you have it available. Looking into importing spanish wines to India and need to be clear on taxes before I make it happen,
Thanks again!
Laura
The new blog post goes up in 2 days and will link to the new sheet. Cheers
Dear all, the update is (FINALLY!) up… http://magandeepsingh.com/indian-wine-duties-revisited/
Hey Magan,
I was trying to gather some info on this, so as to decide upon the business opportunity.As this article was published in 2012, is the situation still the same?
Kindly share your calculation sheet so that I may also have math in place.
Regards,
Arun Chopra
Hi Magan,
Thanks for the info. I’d really appreciate it if you could send me a copy of the spreadsheet!
Thanks
Please can I have a spreadsheet of imported wine in Mumbai. What is the excise duty in Mumbai.
Regards
Sending shortly… Do have a look and get back…
Hi Magan
Please could you share with me the spreadsheets of all the three states to understand the calculations better?
NAMASTEY MAGANDEEPJI , YOUR ARTICLE IS SUPERB SIMPLE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE, I REQUEST YOU TO PLEASE MAIL ME YOUR WORKSHEET SINCE I AM APPOINTED AS AN ITALIAN VINEYARDS REPRESENTATIVE HERE IN INDIA. I REQUEST YOU TO HELP ME TO FIND SOME GOOD POTENTIAL IMPORTERS OF WINES.
THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN & LORD GANESHA BLESS YOU & YOUR FAMILY.AWAITING FOR YOUR WORKSHEET .
The purpose of this mail is to introduce ourselves, M/s. Milano Navigli S.r.l, Milan,Italy. We are progressively active in the sale of Food & Beverages products including premium Italian Wines. We wish to inform you that we have some of the biggest clients spread all across Europe, Russia, Ukraine,Turkey,U.A.E,South Africa,China,Malaysia & South Korea. We have been serving our clients with integrity, professionalism and we value our business relationships. Our aim is to cater the needs of our clients with cost effective good quality products ensuring that our client’s investment yield maximum returns.With a view to amelioration trade between Italy & India we require an Importer who can import & promote our products in India.
We have attached Wine label brochures, Ex-Work price list & other relevant document for your perusal. After going through these information sources we are sure that you will distinguish our brands that sets us apart from the other brands in Italy since we are confident about quality of our product. We are fully aware that you must be investing in some of the other branded wines, and you might need time to think about us but we expect that you will shortlist some of our rich branded wines for commencement of business. We, sincerely acknowledge your time and efforts for reading this mail.
Please feel free to contact on the address and contact details given below for further details please refer our website http://www.milano-navigli.eu. Meanwhile we look forward for meeting with yourselves & awaiting for your early response.
THANKS & REGARDS
Sarosh K. Bhujwala – Country Manager INDIA
Petit BLDG, Block n1, Flat n 1 (ground floor) Jamshedji Petit Lane, Balaram Street, Grant Road (East) Mumbai 400007 INDIA
M +919 892842004 | F +39 97693269 | S saroshb786 | E s.bhujwala@milano-navigli.eu | Local Time UTC/GMT +03:30
Website ; http://www.milano-navigli.eu
headquarter
Foro Buonaparte, 69 – 20121 MILANO (MI) ITALIA
F +39 97693269 | E info@milano-navigli.eu |
Website ; http://www.milano-navigli.eu
Hi Sarosh,
I was looking for importing Wine & Whiskey from UK to India.
Please let me know the potential market in india.
Thanks
Dear Magan,
Request you to please share your insights on the best manner of expanding base of a foreign wine seller in India.
Thanks & Regards,
Pearl Niel
Dear Mr. Singh,
Thank you very much for the brief information. Can you please share me your contact details I would like to discuss my start-up plan with you and would like to have your expert advice. I’ll be very thankful if you could please allow me to discuss my plan with you. For your information I live in Australia (Sydney) and planning to start something in India especially in liquor industry.
Sure, drop me an email at mail@magandeepsingh.com
Thanks Magan for this information. Like an earlier poster, I am curious as to any changes that has come with time or recent rule / policy changes. I am also interested in an other aspect to distributing imported wine. How do you think, it would work for e-commerce players who work nationally. Are the state taxes still a valid consideration? To put it simply, What if I was shipping directly to customer after paying the 160% customs-paid price (CPP).
E-commerce especially in the field of alcohol remains a no-go for the moment. Sheet mailed. Shipping directly as samples is possible but extremely expensive not just due to the 160% duty but also other levies which the courier might apply, not to mention the delays if the authorities decide that the shipment is not a sample but for consumption.
Dear Mr. Magan, can you please mail me the spreadsheet? Thanks!
dear sir
it was great knowledge.
please help me out by sending the excel spread sheet for all the states for imported spirit,wine,and beer both mild and strong.
Sincere thanks and warm regards,
yours sincerely,
satish singh
Hi,
Great article to read and get a familiarisation of the duties and levies involved. It is quite the complicated system. Would really appreciate if you could please provide the spreadsheet you mention. Thank you for your assistance and for the article
hi can you please send me the spreadsheet.
it has been sent on your email. please confirm.
Dear Mr. Magan,
We are planning to import Australian Wines into India. Your spreadsheet would definately be of great use. KIndly share the same. Would you like to give any advise on :
1. Demand of imported wine in India, more particularly demand for Australian wines?
2. What could be the reason of failure of many wines business in India?
Regards
hete has been shared. Failure reasons are many (and the failure rate is high). Main reasons: short-sighted approach, trying methods that maybe work in Europe or elsewhere without fine tuning them for the market here, not having the right product.
Sir can I get the spreadsheet for Delhi as I am into introducing an Italian wine for Delhi , wine is mildly priced .
After all the levies want to know the retail pricing it can go to…. thanks sir
shared on email. for pricing etc, get in touch.
Hello there Mr.Singh,
Thank you for the valuable information you have shared.
I live in south of France & would like to import wines from all assortment to India.How is the situation now in India is it still 160% + state taxes?
Kindly send me a mail with the latest updates & your detailed spread sheet at the below mentioned email.
azurite108@yahoo.in
Many thanks & kind regards
Dinesh Nair
shared via emai
I work in France and came across a French wine supplier. I would love to ask my queries on email.
Please send the spreadsheet on my email as well as mentioned below.
– piyushz0141@yahoo.in–
Regards
Piyush
Dear Mr. Singh
Thank you for the valuable information you have shared.
I live in Russia & would like to import Bio wines and Siberian Berries wines to India.How is the situation now in India is it still 160% + state taxes?
Kindly send me a mail with the latest updates & your detailed spread sheet at the below mentioned email.
actregency@gmail.com
Regards
Sujith
?????? ?????? ????,
The information which you have freely shared is exactly what I was searching for! Given the relatively recent introduction of the unified GST, I hope that it has reduced and simplified the taxation system for imported wines.
Should you have an up-to-date spreadsheet, I’d really appreciate it if you could send me a copy – PLEASE 🙂
Kind regards,
Sandra, Australia
Hi Magandeep Singh,
We own a vineyard in France and have been importing and distributing wine in South India. We are now expanding to Maharashtra and other Northern states. To start with, I want to start talking to Distributors. Do you have any connections in the distributor network in the above-mentioned states? Please let me know if you would like to initiate the talks.
Also please mail me the spreadsheet as well. Thanks!
Dear Magan,
A very informative article. Could you please share the spread sheet for Karnataka?
Thank you very much.
Cheers,
Vishnu.
Thanks so much for the article and all the info you give, would really appreciate it if you could please send me a copy of your new spreadsheet when you have it available. Looking into importing spanish wines to India and need to be clear on taxes before I make it happen,
Thanks again!
Great tips. We often go to France and one of the greatest pleasures is to go to a wine tasting held by one of the smaller vineyards. We travel in a camper van and sometimes the wine makers bring their wares directly to the camp sites. Needless to say we always end up buying way more than we intended!
Hi Magan,
Sent an email. Please could you check and respond at your earliest convenience. Many thanks. Prashant.
Dear Mr Singh, we introduce ourselves as a Bangalore based company with our representative office to be set up in Bordeaux, France.
Under our umbrella we plan to offer a bouquet of services in wine industry catering to Indian and international clientele.
One is to import wine of wine makers of France and Spain who are keen to make their presence in India through us.
We will be pleased if you can share the excel sheet that can give us final price for imported wine for Karnataka region.
Also would appreciate if you can broadly outline on how you could provide us your consulting services if required.
My mail is
satya@marinuscapital.com
Thanks for sharing the information Mr Singh.
I am curious about this field have been planning to introduce an imported product in the Indian market aswell.
I already have some interested suppliers and needed some more knowledge before diving in. I was wondering if you could provide your insights on product selection and pricing for imported wines to Delhi and surrounding states. Also. it would be interesting to know what are you thoughts on differences in markets amongst Delhi, Haryana, UP, Maharastra, Karnataka and Goa.
Also, can you tell me how does sampling work here? Are there any specific requirements when it comes to receiving samples and what is the correct procedure to import samples of wine to India?
Please if you could help me with your knowledge and expertise, it would be of much help to me.
Thank you
Harry
Hello Mr. Magandeep,
Your article was very informative, thank you very much. Could you please email a copy of the spread sheet to sandyas@gmail.com.
Thank you.
Dear mr,
We are GREAT INDIAN BREWERIES Inc . importing European beer in India and looking for distribution network statewise in India.
Pls contact at my wtsapp number +918797501566 for detail discussion or write me over arv_pin@rediffmail.com
Regards
A k Singh
Kolkata
You can reach me at mail@magandeepsingh.com with what you have in mind. thanks.
Hi Magan,,
Many thanks for the info. I’d really appreciate it if you could send me a copy of the spreadsheet!
Thanks
Ash
Hi Mr. Magan,
We have just started doing our research regarding importing Australian wines to India and while doing that I came across your article. Could you please forward me your spreadsheet.
Regards
Geetika
Dear Magan,
Although your article is a few years old, it still hold tremendous value and provides a good knowledge base for us. I request you to kindly share the excel workbook to calculate the MRP in various states.
Best Regards,
Nipurn Rastogi.
nipurnr@gmail.com
Good afternoon Magan,
I am trying to gather some info on importing wine into India so as to decide upon the business opportunity. As this article was published in 2012, is the situation still the same ?
Would you kindly share your update calculation sheet so that I may also have math in place.
Thanks & regards,
Cyril
cyril.ponsonnard@neuf.fr
Hi … please share the detailed spreadsheet of importing wine from Italy to West Bengal India . It’s seems a good business . Mail me at ronkarnawat@hotmail.com
Dear Mr. Magandeep Singhji:
Great article!! Have things (in terms of taxation) changed since 2012? If yes, could you please shed some light on this.
Requesting you to please end the excel sheet.
Thanks
SS
Hi Magan
Amazing information and data, however since its 2019 and i have a lot of questions and need concrete data.
Please could you share with me the spreadsheets of all the three states to understand the calculations better?
Also help me with your contact to discuss and consult.
Thanks & regards
Roysten M
hi magan,
kindly mail the worksheets, would be a great help.
Dear Sir,
Many Thanks for your valuable information. I am planning to import Italian wine to Indian market. I am a complete white slate about this business. Please share your insight and help me understand how to setup this business in India.
Looking forward for your valuable revert.
Thanks and Regards,
Kiran
Hello Sir,
Can you please send me the sheet for all 3 states. Also is excise or vat applicable to home made wines..
Also please do let me know taxes for wines purchased from other states in India
Hi Mr Singh,
The article and your insight on wine import is really amazing.
Request you please send the latest updates & your detailed spread sheet as advised in the article via email as per your convenience.
Many thanks & kind regards
Gaurav Gogia
Hello Magandeep Ji,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience on this article. I am currently located in Australia and have been able to build a network with Independent wineries and buyers in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. I would like to spend some time analysing the financial feasibility of importing some of these wines to the Indian market. Would really appreciate if you could kindly share the spreadsheet mentioned. My email is – chinmayshekhar@gmail.com.
Best Wishes.
Chinmay
Hi all,
I am looking to import wine to India from France or Italy. Please do contact me: manuvunni@gmail.com
Thanks and Regards,
Manu V Unni
Dear Magandeep,
I trust you’re well, I’d like to thank you for sharing such valuable insight on the wine market in India. I have worked in France and currently based in Abu Dhabi. UAE. I plan to import wines in to India from Europe. It would be awesome if you could Kindly share the spreadsheet on my Email abhay_589@yahoo.co.in. And let us stay in touch.
Many thanks
Best regards
Abhay
Hello Mr.Magan,
Very intresting article on the imported wines. I have been looking to start a new venture of offering French wines in Delhi and Haryana. Looking forward for your support in providing some operational data on importing wines into Delhi.
Thank you.
I would like to solicit your assistance and guidance in my endeavour of importing a unique product viz Gold Flaked Sparkling White Wine to my city Mumbai.
I want to start wine business in U.P. INDIA & Import from Australia. Please advise process & rate calculation.
indra from agra
hello Indra Ji
are you interested for importing goof french wines
pl let me know
tks n rgds
manoj singh BISHT
What are the procedures for New wine import Licenses