HYDERABAD: The much-cherished tradition of preparing homemade wine for Christmas has seen a decline in Hyderabad, unlike in Kerala, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where it continues to thrive. Several families in Hyderabad have abandoned the practice following recent crackdown by the excise department.
In the past six months, excise raids targeted residential areas in Lallaguda, Marredpally and Tarnaka. Officials seized up to 100 litres of wine from a residence in Lallaguda, home to a significant Anglo-Indian community. While law permits brewing non-alcoholic wine for personal use, excise officials emphasise that commercial distribution is illegal.
This crackdown has particularly impacted elderly members of the Anglo-Indian community, 15,000-plus strong, which has long upheld the tradition of making wine with recipes passed down through generations. This tradition, deeply rooted in the community's cultural fabric, involves preparing wine using traditional recipes, a member of the community said.
Gerard Charles Carr, treasurer of Federation of Anglo-Indian Associations, explained that families would begin wine-making months ahead of Christmas, using grapes, wheat, sugar and yeast for fermentation.
'Action against those selling alcohol-laced wine' Excise officials discovered some community members selling wine with 13% alcohol content, made from imported grapes and fermented for a month
Excise officials discovered some community members selling wine with 13% alcohol content, made from imported grapes and fermented for a month
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