Indian wine: the third wave

Krsma Sauvignon Blanc 2012 by Krsma Estates, the latest member of the Third Wave Club, is aromatic (grapefruit, lime) and elegant. This wine is very crisp/dry, light-bodied, and has a clean dry finish

I liken the development of Indian wines to Alvin Toffler's The Third Wave (1980): The First Wave was from 1986 to 2000, when the industry's pioneers (Indage, Grover, and Sula) set up their wineries in the teeth of the licence-permit raj and gave consumers the first vin de table made from wine grapes. Of these, Indage (Champagne India) is no more; Grover went into a slump in 2008 but has merged with another start-up to form Grover-Zampa (new labels, revamped distribution), while Sula is now the industry leader and probably the only wine company that is profitable.

The Second Wave was brought in by the 2001 Maharashtra Grape Processing Policy that liberalised licencing for setting up wineries and reduced taxes on wines produced in the state. This led to the setting-up of over 70 wineries in Maharashtra over the the course of 10 years - unfortunately most were set up by grape farmers and entrepreneurs who knew little about either making good wine or going about marketing and distributing the stuff. They didn't understand that it takes roughly as much time and money to establish a wine brand as to produce wine.

Consequently most of the wineries have been unable to sustain themselves, particularly during the downturn in 2008-09, and have either closed down or are operating only within Maharashtra state.

The Karnataka Wine Policy of 2007-08 mirrored the Maharashtra model, and has led to the establishment of some 20-odd wineries. Despite tariff protection in the form of a levy of Rs 300 per litre on wines from outside the state, many of these wineries sell their wines only within Karnataka, and have adopted various models to keep their heads above water (not all have succeeded).

The Third Wave is more recent: since 2008 a few wineries have been set up by companies or individuals with a better understanding of what it takes to both produce a quality product, and the deep pockets required to invest in marketing and distribution. These include subsidiaries of liquor majors like Four Seasons (United Spirits, NineHills (Pernod-Ricard India), and Big Banyan (John Distilleries) as well as stand-alone wineries like Fratelli Akluj, Maharashtra), York (Nashik, Maharashtra), Charosa (Nashik, Maharashtra), and Alpine (Talakad, Karnataka).

The latest member of the Third Wave Club is Krsma Estates, a boutique winery near Hampi (North Karnataka) that launched 4 varietals at the JW Marriott Bangalore on 1st February. Set up by Hyderabad-based Krishna Prasad and his wife Uma Chigurupati, their oldest vineyard plot dates back to 2007 - the winery was built in 2010, and the first vintage on the market was produced in 2011.

The wines they've launched (all prices are for Bangalore):

Krsma Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (Rs 750): Aromatic (grapefruit, lime) and elegant, this wine is very crisp/dry in an almost Chablis-type fashion, light-bodied, and has a clean dry finish with no bitterness at all.

Krsma Chardonnay 2013 (Rs 1,000): Beautifully aromatic (passion fruit, butter) with a soft, clean, medium-bodied taste that keeps one going back for more. Only 980 bottles produced and is depleting fast.

Krsma Sangiovese 2013 (Rs 1,000): The bright red colour presages a wine with aromas of cherries and red fruit and a yummy medium-bodied taste with marked tannins and a good clean finish. Will be terrific with most cuisines. Again, less than 2,000 bottles produced.

Krsma Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,250 for the magnum): Their flagship wine - very dark red,with the fruit (berries, plums) and oak carrying through to the palate, with a full-bodied taste and good long finish.

The first still-wine magnum in India, the wines have an aging potential of 6 to 8 years.

Cheers to more Third Wave wines!

Alok Chandra is a Bangalore-based wine consultant