Cultivating connoisseurs

Decadent evenings are in, with the pairing of perfect partners. There is the Red Velvet Cheesecake with the Zinfandel Rose. A light and airy mascarpone cheese tangoes with strawberries, and aptly complements the floral notes of the Zinfandel Rose.

Then there is the classic New York Styled Cheesecake paired with the Late Harvest Chenin Blanc, the combination of the heady tropical fruity notes of peaches, pears, passion fruit and honeyed apricot, lifted by subtle notes of lemon zest. Or would you rather indulge in the Cono Sur Tocornal Merlot with Belgian Dark Chocolate Marquise?

If your head has started spinning by now, that is exactly what the doctor ordered! Wine lovers and even absolute amateurs have recently been getting invites for the craziest pairings in town. In Mumbai, the Cheesecake and Wine Wednesday by Sula is just one of the many occasions when connoisseurs and actual walk-in customers are egged on to pair their wine with a cheesecake. All in a bid to grow the nascent wine industry.

As Rajeev Samant, Founder and CEO of Sula Vineyards, notes, “Around 15 years ago, there really was no wine market. Today, the big difference is that pretty much any new restaurant opening in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai or Bangalore needs a wine list.”

For most parties and events, a couple of decent wines have to be served for people to be considered ‘in’ with the crowd. Bangalore, too, recently hosted a Wine Festival, which was spread over three days and across sprawling grounds. The event offered Bangaloreans an opportunity to understand the basics of wine, varietals, wine tasting and food pairing.

The perception of wine being ‘upmarket’ and ‘sophisticated’ is helping its consumption in major cities. The biggest consumption of wine (up to 80 per cent) is confined to the major cities, with Mumbai taking care of 39 per cent of market share, Delhi holding on to 23 per cent, Bangalore some 9 per cent and the foreign tourist-dominated Goa market accounting for 9 per cent market share.

Karnataka is the second largest producer of the country’s wines, next to Maharashtra, which accounts for the majority of India's total wine production. According to an official of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the wine market in the country has grown consistently at 15-18 per cent over the past few years.

RICH IN HISTORY

Never mind the cheese, the meat or the fowl accompaniment, wine has become a passion in most households. Though few people associate India with wine, the oldest wine in India is reportedly an Ayurvedic concoction called Draksharishtha, literally meaning grape wine in Sanskrit.

Made from fermented grape juice with sweet and savoury herbs, this Indian wine is far different from what the Portuguese settlers fermented in Goa in the 16th century, when they planted vineyards in Goa. Since then, wine has been consumed on its own in the country, and even used as a cooking medium, mixed with garlic and spices for vindaloo, the Goan speciality. History aside, the Indian wine market has been growing with the steady rate expected to continue for the next 5-6 years. The statistics, though, are not for the faint-hearted.

India reportedly has the least developed wine market of all the BRIC countries put together, with per capita annual consumption estimated to be less than 10 milliliters. Compare this to the world over, with France consuming 60 litres, Italy 70 litres, and the average global yearly per capita consumption of wine pegged at around four litres.

Though the Indian wine sector continues to see negative gross margins, the trend is catching up with the young and the affluent who are keen to take on Western trends. As Samant adds, “Consumers, today, are much more aware of the different varieties, the brands and the attributes of the wine.”

He says it is very important to provide consumers with basic wine knowledge which in turn helps consumers get more comfortable with wines. Apart from wine tourism, the company even has specialised courses to help individuals understand the different styles of wine making.

Speaking about the potential of the Indian wine market, an official from Sula adds, “Over the next five years, the wine industry could reach three digit growth, though a lot depends on the overall economic growth. One thing we have realised is when the economic growth is over 6 per cent, then the wine market grows over 20 per cent. However, if the growth is 5 per cent, then the wine market grows at barely 10 per cent. So, a lot depends on the overall economic growth.”

International consultants are reportedly working with local wine makers to ensure quality control measures such as trellising methods, combat lower yields, and combat disease and rot. Many international varieties are grown alongside indigenous ones such as Arkavati, Arkashyam, Bangalore Blue (Isabella) and Gulabi (Black Muscat). The Turkish grape Sultana is the most common varietal planted. Styles of wines range from dry to pink to sparkling to sweet and even fortified.

HOME-GROWN

Interestingly, in such a nascent sector, mergers and acquisitions have already taken hold. Take the case of Bangalore-based Grover Vineyards merging with Nashik-hosted Vallee de Vin, maker of Zampa wines. The new entity, aptly christened Grover Zampa Vineyards, has a combined capacity of 60,000 cases.

Grover Zampa owns vineyards in both Karnataka and Maharashtra, with the company keen to promote wine education, marketing and distribution. All the brands from both the companies have been retained, with the merger helping the firms offer a wider range of price points and wine styles.

Sula Vineyards currently holds around 70 per cent of the Indian wine market. Though Samant began by farming mangoes at his family’s 20-acre plot in Nashik after a Silicon Valley education, he later tried his hand at various crops such as roses, teakwood, and grapes. Realising that Nashik had the potential as a wine region, Samant established Sula Vineyards in 1999.

Mumbai-based Riona wines, an exclusive importer of wines from Moncaro and Enzo Mecella in the Marche Region in Italy, is also setting up a winery to produce domestic wines in Sangli, Maharashtra, in a joint venture.

Close on the heels of the domestic majors are international competitors. Möet-Hennessy has unveiled plans to release a domestic sparkling wine in India, after investing in the Nashik region. Some 19 hectares of Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay were planted in 2011, in the Dindori sub-region.

With the first bottles to be launched later this year, the winery is expected to be completed in 2014 and will be able to produce 50,000 cases a year. Today, Nashik is considered India’s wine capital with 35 wineries.

In 2003, SDU Winery came up in Nandi Valley in Karnataka, on the outskirts of Bangalore. It decided to create India’s first new-age boutique winery, with the launch of its first brand of wines, Deva.

Among its many wines is Deva Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine), which is produced from the company’s own vineyard. The price for a 350 ml bottle is Rs 325 and for a 700 ml bottle Rs 600.

The aim, as an official put it, is to produce an Indian wine for the wine connoisseur.

The company's approach to wine at its sophisticated facility, with Italian machines and wine tanks that match international standards, is to ensure that every step is mapped, from the vineyard to the glass, with grapes sourced solely from the Nandi Valley vineyard.

Italian wine-maker Andrea Valentinuzzi has also been roped in by the company. Speaking at the launch of the Deva brand, Shaambhavi Hingorani, Director, SDU Winery said, “Our vineyards have the perfect combination of French grape vines, hillsides and ideal growing conditions. The level of richness, balance and complexity in the wine are a result of the authentic wine-making approach.”

Hingorani should know, because she has travelled across premier wine-growing regions of the world before gaining a deep understanding of wines and the associated complexities. A visit to South Africa, Italy, France, Australia, and California gave her insights to set up India’s first boutique winery.

Sula Vineyards too has identified the need to incorporate tailor-made strategies for different markets. Recently it entered the Sikkim market. “Sula uses the expertise of its representatives to not only understand the demands of the market, but to capitalise on their mutual strengths. We have a large range of wines in our portfolio and the time is right to foray into the Sikkim market,” says Deepak Bhatnagar, Executive Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Sula Vineyards.

WOMEN-CENTRIC

Guess who is driving demand in the country? Indian women are propelling sales. Consumption has grown nearly 25 per cent in the last five years, according to a recent report published by a private marketing company AM Mindpower Solutions in New Delhi. Wine consumption among women throughout India has increased by 28.7 per cent in the last five years, as compared to a 17.3 per cent surge in demand from men, especially in metropolitan areas.