How to drink tequila in Mexico or relish Argentinean red wine with read meat - you can learn it all from a new portal that initiates Indians to the pleasure of doing business with Latin America.

Log on to businessswithlatinamerica.com, a plain and austere user-friendly website site which is bursting with information and delightful nuggets on the finer points of forging business contacts with the region which is slowly becoming an economic powerhouse.

The site has been conceptualised and created by R. Viswanathan, joint secretary, Latin American and Caribbean division, in the ministry of external affairs.

Viswanathan's boundless passion for the place and its people shows in little stories he has been able to weave in with facts about the region in what he calls a "one-stop source of information and contacts for India's business with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries".

The site was launched by the Minister of State for External Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh at a gala party here Friday evening that saw diplomats from Latin America mingling with their Indian counterparts and businessmen and socialites and dancing to the sensuous rhythms of salsa music.

"The food is good, the wine is good and people are good in these countries," said an enthusiastic Singh, urging Indian business to pitch their tents in the LAC countries.

The region is after all known for its enchanting beaches and fun-loving people.

Besides a wealth of information on just about every facet of business in these countries, the site displays a list of embassies and contact persons for Indian business.

And then there are those delicious titbits about the pleasures of doing business in the region in cafés, which offers more than coffee. There are also tips on how to drink tequila in Mexico and how to enjoy Argentinean red wine with read meat.

India's bilateral trade with LAC has been on an upswing and jumped from $2.35 billion in 2003-204 to over $4 billion in 2004-2005.

Trade with Mexico and Brazil is now booming. India's exports to Mexico and Brazil are expected to touch a record $1 billion each by the end of the year.

While Indian business has been exploring the LAC market since the last decade, the Latin Americans have started taking India seriously only very recently.

Apart from trade, there is a new interest in investment and joint ventures in Latin America among big companies like Tatas, Reliance, Birlas, Essar, Jindals, OVL, TCS and Infosys.

Latin American companies have also started positioning themselves to tap the vast potential of the large and growing market of India.