Anniversaries and milestones

Wine is a recent phenomenon in India, so most people forget that some wines have been around for a fairly long time: Indage since 1986, Grover since 1992 and Sula (which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its first harvest) since 1999.

Time was when the only “wines” available were either the port-style stuff from Goa (remember “Adega de Velha”?) or Golconda. In 1986 Indage launched “Marquise de Pompadour” — touted as the first “Indian champagne” (we really didn’t know much about wine back then, did we?). Grover’s entry three years later gave some competition, but it was Sula which raised the bar by bringing in better-quality wines and marketing their wines professionally.

 

Today there are 50-odd wineries in Maharashtra (with another 10 new units said to be starting-up in 2010 in Karnataka) and the number of wine labels available is large enough to warrant an annual competition (or two) to sort out the wine from the vinegar.

For me, too, end-2009 is a bit of a milestone: five years of writing for BS (the first article came out in December 2004)! Along the way, I’ve written about everything possible on wine, and seen the industry grow threefold (as predicted), from a measly 500,000 cases to the present 1.5 million.

As they say, “You’ve come a long way, baby!”

Following the unfortunate meltdown at Indage, Sula is now the largest wine company in India and is set to sell nearly 300,000 cases this fiscal. Not that these volumes have affected its quality: at the recently-concluded Sommelier India Wine Competition, three of the five Indian wines which received silver medals were from Sula (the Sauvignon Blanc, Dindori Reserve Shiraz, and Riesling).

Interestingly enough, Sula seems to also have discovered the pot of gold at the bottom of the pyramid, and has been laddering its portfolio by introducing wines at price-points below its existing range: Port 1000 @ Rs 100-150; Samara @ Rs 200-250; and Mosaic @ Rs 250-300.

Meanwhile, the “100-pound gorilla” (Vijay Mallya’s wine division) is moving to a long-term strategy: to be No. 1 in the wine industry in India (they are already No. 1 in both spirits and beer) in the next 5-10 years. Given its quick success in making quality wines (the 4 Seasons Viognier 2009 got a gold medal in the SIWC), deep pockets, huge investments into production, and distribution muscle, there is no reason why it should not be able to achieve this objective.

However, a visit to the International Food & Drink Expo at Pragati Maidan, Delhi on December 3 presented a hilarious conundrum. Delhi excise had, at the last minute, ruled that any wine registered in Delhi could not be exhibited or sampled at the Expo. Makes perfect sense — after all, we cannot allow the stuff to be advertised, can we? Time for the authorities to take a reality check: do understand, fellows, that wine and beer are low-alcohol products that should be encouraged.

Wines I’ve been drinking: The Sommelier India/Opera Consortium’s dinner on the lawns of the Imperial Hotel, Delhi, gave us some lovely Italian wines. One that stood out was the Salice Salento Rosso Selvarossa Riserva 2005, made from the Negroamaro grape in the “heel” of Italy BY Cantine du Palme: an inky red colour, a complex aroma of coffee and spices, soft tannins, a full-bodied taste and a long finish all combined to provide an excellent tipple. Hope someone brings these wines to India soon.
Cin Cin!

(al.chandra@gmail.com)