Krithika Iyer, 32, lives in Bangalore and is a human resource consultant with a multinational. She comes from a conservative family, well versed in Carnatic music and other spiritual and cultural facets that come with her upbringing.

But that doesn't hold Iyer back from stepping out of her plush Brigade Gateway apartment on a lazy Saturday noon and head for the Orion Mall within the gated complex to pick her choice of wine - her chats with the sommeliers at restaurants come in handy!

A Sunday brunch with her husband with some wine to pair is a ritual the couple has been following for the past couple of years and helps them unwind and catch up with matters which their busy schedules otherwise prevent them from doing so during weekdays.

Krithika's story is not an isolated one today. More Indian women are now getting inclined towards wine. Three reasons stand out: Societal acceptability, its perceived healthier attribute and the mushrooming of swanky retail outlets where a woman does not have to feel uncomfortable going in.