New Delhi, Jan. 27 -- Indian winemakers are likely to remain unaffected by lower tariffs on premium European wines under the India-EU free trade agreement, as the duty cuts will largely bypass the price segment in which domestic producers operate, experts said.

At present, imported wines are subject to a steep 150% import duty in India. Under the new pact, this duty will be reduced to 75% and eventually slashed to as low as 20% for premium wines and 30% for mid-range wines, according to an official release by the European Commission. Meanwhile, wines priced below €2.5 will not receive any duty concessions, PTI reported.

Industry executives said the structure of the tariff cuts, combined with the small size of India's wine market, ...