Cheers to Make in India

Last Saturday, Krsma Estates held the first-ever vertical tasting of four vintages of its flagship Krsma Cabernet Sauvignon - 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015. For the uninitiated, a "vertical" tasting is of the same wine produced in different years, something that's never before been done by an Indian wine producer.

The tasting, held at The Oberoi Bengaluru, was attended by the who's who of the wine fraternity in India: curated by Magandeep Singh (Wi-Not Beverages), guests included Subhash Arora (Indian Wine Academy) and Reva Singh (Sommelier India) from Delhi; Sonal Holland (ITC Welcomgroup), Sanjay Menon (Sonary's), Rojita Tiwari, Aneesh Bhasin (Hip Flask) and Bhisham Mansukhani from Mumbai. From Bengaluru there were Ruma Singh, Aslam Gafoor (Bangalore Wine Club), Stanley Pinto (The Bangalore Black Tie), Devesh Agarwal (The Wine Connoisseurs), Chetan Kamani (The Rotary Wine Fellowship) among others .

What was unusual was that all the wines were poured from 1.5 litre (magnum) bottles. The Krsma Cabernet Sauvignon is the only Indian wine in magnums, and these were "double-decanted" for the evening: first poured into decanters and allowed to rest for about an hour, then poured back into the bottles and cooled down to 14 degrees celsius for serving.

Krsma Estates is located 80 km north of the heritage site at Hampi, and occupies 140 acres of a stoney hillock, adjacent to a (similarly bare and stoney) nature reserve, of which some 60 acres are planted with wine grapes, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, but also Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, and a little Chardonnay.

The winery was promoted by Krishna Prasad and wife Uma Chigurupati who commenced planting the vineyards in 2007 and made their first wine in 2010 - but never released it as Krishna didn't think it measured up to the quality they wanted! Their wines were launched in Bengaluru in February 2014, and availability has since been expanded only to New York city in the US.

Krsma Cabernet Sauvignon 2011: Despite 14 months in new Ricard oak casks and (by now) 35 months in bottle, the wine is still tannic and strong, with an aroma of fruit and oak that is expressive and fresh and has a touch of sandalwood. The wine will keep for at least 5 years - I gave it 85 points.

Krsma Cabernet Sauvignon 2012: Even though only 33 per cent of the wine was matured in new oak casks and its production involved higher extraction, I felt this vintage was more evolved, with softer tannins and while still medium-bodied, was more complex and balanced. I gave this vintage 87 points on the 100-point scale used in the US.

Krsma Cabernet Sauvignon 2014: Here they again varied the production technique, and brought in the best (and probably among the most expensive) oak barrels in the world (from Limosin in France) to get a more full-bodied wine that is fruity, complex, and expressive, has silky tannins and a long finish - I gave it 89-90 points ("Outstanding").

Krsma Cabernet Sauvignon 2015: This year's vintage has spent just six months in barrels and has yet to be either bottled or released but is still quite complex and fruity - let's see how it evolves over the next 12-15 months.

An amazing journey for the producers, one which aptly illustrated their passion and involvement in the subject - I can only say "Make in India"!

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant