The New World of exciting young and vibrant Wines Vs the Mystic Old World of aged and traditionally crafted wines.
 

Wine making tradition goes time immemorial and we see mention of wines centuries ago in Greek and Roman history. European countries like France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Greece are the traditional wine making countries with their heritage going back to centuries ago. Over this period, the vineyards and the wine making traditions have been passed on from generation to generation. However, over a period of time, many new techniques have evolved which have resulted in the fine quality of these wines. Needless to say, wine makers from these countries take deep pride in their rich heritage and tradition.

The one person who has taken this pride to the extreme end – much to the delight of wine lovers - is George Duboeuf. The undisputable (and unofficial) “King” of Beaujolais, France produces and distributes nearly 25 million of the 175 million bottles of wine produced by this region annually. George Duboeuf has not only perfected the art of winemaking, but has perfected the art of exhibiting his love for wine by creating “Le Hameau du Vin” (“The Village of Wine”) – a museum of wine! This mammoth learning and tasting centre includes a dizzying array of choices - fancy a wine tasting? Go to the free tasting bar! Feel like learning more devoted to corks and bottles!

Fancy seeing an art exhibit? Go to the Art Section! And the ride just doesn’t end. Located next to his corporate base in the tiny village of Romaneche-Thorins (56 km. north of Lyon), the museum explores the wines of Beaujolais through a self-guided tour employing sophisticated audiovisuals, exhibits and tasting. George has used the best of the New World technology of entertainment (read “Disneyland”) to remind the French and the rest of the world that wine is an important part of French heritage.

And then began the era of the new world wines! These come from Australia, New Zealand, America, South Africa and Latin America. Most of these countries started making wines quite recently – hence, the branding of “New World”. These countries have taken advantage of the new techniques that have evolved over centuries by Old world wine regions and have used them to the best of their advantage – resulting in some great quality wines, in a much shorter life cycle. Whether it is advanced equipment, irrigation systems or faster oak ageing, new world has used all of this to its best advantage. Many new vineyards have been developed by picking the best of soil, climate and technique and of course, the best of the wine makers. No doubt several new world wines today compete closely with the best from the old world.

A new landmark was created in wine history on January 23rd of 2004 - better known as the day of “The Berlin Tasting,” when thirty six of Europe’s most highly regarded wine journalists, writers and buyers met in Berlin and in a blind tasting selected Viñedo Chadwick 2000 (Chile) and Seña 2001 (Chile) over French classics Château Margaux, Château Lafite, Château Latour and Italian Solaia and Sassicaia. History repeated itself 2 years down at the Tokyo Grand Hyatt Hotel - On June 14th, 2006, seventy of the most important wine writers, sommeliers, owners of fine wine shops and restaurants of Japan, together with the key specialized journalists from China, Korea and Hong Kong tasted blind. Remarkably, they reached a similar verdict as their European counterparts - placing Seña 2000 and 2001 on top of Château Margaux, Château Lafite and Italians Sassicaia and Tignanello. These 2 events played a crucial role in getting Chilean wines on the world map for top quality wines.

Longevity Vs Fresh and Young wines for Drinking:
The old proverb, “Wine goes better with age” may still hold good for lots of wines made by Old world wine regions. The focus here has always been towards the structure and the longevity of wines. The Ageing in Barrels to get the best quality and reflection of wine and in turn selling at a premium to optimize on this careful production. In the new world wine making countries there seems to be more focus on the young and easy drinking wines. But that no way means that new world does not produce wines with long ageing potential.


Price:
Majority of people across globe even today will put their money on the top wines from the old world. The fact still remains that Bordeaux wines do command highest price in the wine market. More I drink wines from both the worlds, more firm I go in my belief that wines should not be drunk with any pre-conceived notions. I have found ample wines from the old world which are just average in quality and at the same time have come across some amazingly great quality wines from the new world, at very good prices.


Government Regulations:
Old world is still in the shadow of the rigorous laws in wine making, whether it is AOC classification in France or DOC classification in Italy. The Wine Guardians still ensure strong adherence to the age old regulations for wine making. Whether these rules are towards the flexibility allowed in the percentage of the grape production per Hectare of land or use of only natural methods and conditions for the wine viticulture - they certainly help the old wine world regions with the continuous adherence to wine standards and style. Most of the new World wine making countries have also formulated their laws and regulations to ensure quality and consistency but have provided more flexibility to the wine makers for the adaptation. This has helped new aged wine makers to experiment with soil and wines to discover several new combinations and styles. Yering Station Shiraz Viognier wine from Yarra Valley in Australia is a remarkable product resulting from such experiments. Addition of just 5% Viognier to Shiraz added so much more intensity and aroma to this wine. Many other wineries later followed Yering station success and created this new blend.


Marketing:
In this world of clever marketing, packaging plays a crucial role in the success of any product. Some of the best wines from the old world still follow traditional classic label. Considering that the wines are moving not only in the “A” list restaurants but also retail & minibars of hotels – the packaging can make it or break it for the amateur/ experimental drinker. The New world wines have shown better flexibility to more creative labels and packaging. These vibrant labels designs and names in new world wines have made understanding of wines simpler and easier for the wine enthusiasts and has certainly helped new world wines to sell better at the retail segment. Learning from the success of smart packaging of new world wines, now even the Wine makers from the Old world are following suit.


Not so many years back when New World introduced Screw cap instead of Corks for the bottling of wines, traditional Wine drinkers were very adverse to this trend. I presume that for many, the romance and charm of the wine was in the cork and the elaborate ceremony to the opening of the cork from the bottle. After a lot of repulsion, today we see a majority of Old World Wine Countries using Screw caps - especially for their young wines or the ones meant for early consumption. The romance may have got diminished, but it sure made more business sense. This change to the use of Screw caps decreased the “cork defect” drastically - which earlier amounted to even up to 5 % of the total production.

As a Wine lover, the most important thing that gets me closer to wine is its diversity. Unlike any other beverage in the world, one can drink from a new wine bottle every day of life but still the wine journey never ends. That is why it is rightly said, “Life is too short to drink Bad wine”. As a consumer one must be open to trying different wines depending on the mood, company, food or just the time of the day! This selection of a wine should be irrespective of the Country of Origin or demarcation of old world or new World. In fact the boundaries have narrowed down so much that today any good international wine list carries good wines from all parts of the world.

So here’s a toast to the community of Wine lovers who transcend all geographical boundaries for the taste of a good wine!!!

Sumedh Singh, Partner
Finewinesnmore

Courtesy:  http://www.ambrosiaindia.com

Rallying for quality in Indian wines


Q.
Has Indus abstained from taking on the role of a simple bulk-supplier of wine to bigger players like Sula? If so, the investment in creating your own label recognizable through ensuring high-quality wine - right from vineyards has paid-off well through wine challenge awards and now the deal with Aspri. What do you say...


Violet:
Passion and enjoyment of crafting good quality wine has always been the focus at Indus Vineyards and this was the reason why Indus did not succumb to playing the role of a simple bulk wine supplier, where going by logistics it would have been economical as well as profitable to sell in bulk. We, at Indus were very sure about the path that we wanted to take to make a Brand India product and to do that we were prepared to go the whole hog.

In this industry one needs to have very deep pockets to sustain and continue to produce the best. In all honesty, since the launch of Indus wines, we did not make a great headway in sales. Our management decided that we will produce the best but we also need the best to market and sell our wines.

We began the hunt for an agency to market our wines, but who were as passionate as we were and zeroed down on three agencies but the decision was unanimous in partnering with Aspri Spirits Pvt. Ltd. who have a pan India reach, a young and dynamic management and above all who have fire in their bellies to take up challenges, innovate and strategize according to market trends. I am happy that Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO Aspri’s wine division will lead the team. It feels great to constantly interact with such a team, whose imported wine portfolio is doing extremely well but raring to go and make a mark in the domestic wine sector. Indus is now upbeat and looks forward to doing well with Aspri by our side.


What ails the distribution system in the Indian wine industry?

Q.
What ails the distribution system that is a hindrance for small wineries? Is distribution of small wineries produce a big challenge?


Violet:
The distribution system in Maharahstra is a complex one. You will find many distributors owe allegiance to big companies like UB, Pernod Ricard and Diageo, who themselves have come out with their own domestic wine portfolios. These distributors will never agree to distribute wines of smaller companies like ours and risk losing their contracts with the big giants. Obviously with the top distributors being unavailable we are then saddled with the smaller ones who do not have a wide portfolio of alcoholic beverages to distribute. I have personally visited many distributors in the last four years and have a cordial relationship with them but talk of distributing domestic wines and you will get a definite NO.

The Maharahstra Government in giving an impetus to the domestic wine industry has allowed the supply of wine to retailers directly from the wineries. However since wine consumption is minuscule compared to other alcoholic beverages, it is not economical or feasible to deliver three or six bottles to around 50 retailers. Moreover, orders for wine are not very regular.

Another hindrance in distributing domestic wines is the ‘buy one get one free’ scheme that ails the domestic wine sector. I have observed that quantity and not quality is the norm. Why would anyone buy an Indus Sauvignon Blanc for Rs. 540/- when you can get two bottles of the same variety from about 20 wineries? Thankfully we have not succumbed to the 1+1 scheme and have since got a faithful clientele for our wines. Aspri shares our vision of ‘quality comes with a price’. The challenge is now for Aspri and Indus to counter this trend and lead the way.


Gateway to success: Quality products

Q.
Obviously quality still wins and business success catches up but after a time lapse. Please share your experience on this...


Violet:
At Indus, our focus is always in making good wine. But for that good wine to reach the tables of the consumer is the big issue. Innovative marketing is the need of the hour, which we have seen in the young and dynamic team at Aspri. In the long run, the men will be separated from the boys.

Quality will definitely be the trend in years to come, once awareness of wines spreads to our wine drinking class. As I mentioned earlier, one has to have deep pockets to continue to make good wine even if initially the cash registers are not ringing! Ultimately quality will win hands down in wine consumption.

Ansiha Sharma for indianwine.com

Vinod Guraddi grew up in rural Karnataka, balancing academics and helping in the fields. Today he returns to his agrarian roots with a spanking venture as Managing Director, Elite Vintage Winery India Pvt. Ltd. in Karnataka’s village Mudhol, district Bagalkot.

IndianWine.com gets up close with this engineer turned entrepreneur…

Back to roots

Being a farmer’s son, Vinod takes pride in contributing to the agricultural sector through his new winery.  Also, his guiding principle in life, “Be something, believe something and do something,” has led him to start Elite Winery, and dedicates the enterprise to the farmers of Karnataka.

The last decade found him globetrotting for business matters and was thus initiated into the world of premium wines.  A particular visit to a German vineyard got him thinking on these lines.

What kick-started Elite Winery, we ask him, and he is quick to share his tales of exploration and adventure: “For the last eight years, I studied the feasibility of several agro based industries. In the mean time wineries in Maharashtra were booming and mushrooming in a big way, where as in Karnataka hardly any…”

Congenial conditions

Karnataka has great potential, as several wine grape varietals are already growing here. “Keeping in mind the conducive climatic conditions for grape growing in Krishna Valley, we set up a winery here to develop quality wines to suit Indian & International markets,’ he begins.

“When we spoke to local grape growers we received an overwhelming response.” So that was it! “Their enthusiasm convinced us to venture into wine making under the banner of Elite Vintage Winery India Pvt. Ltd.”

Team work

Building a good team has been the key from the start. “Though I am the Managing Director and had dreamt the winery project, the dream has come true because of our dedicated General Manager - Girish Koraddi, who brings with him 17 years of experience in the sugar industry.”

Dermot Sugrue from UK is Elite’s Chief Wine Consultant and Dr. Krishna Mumbaraddi is the Agricultural Business Advisor. That adds to the 50 strong team at Elite.

Capacity

And just how successful is the venture? “I should say, we are very successful, because in the very first year we could produce 400 000 liters of wines. By next year our production will reach to 600 000 liters.”

Elite has also developed about 180 acres of vineyards that will start yielding from 2010 harvest.

That’s great going :-)

To market

What is planned on the marketing front? The products are to be launched this summer in Karnataka, while a strong distribution network is being worked upon for all India and foreign markets.

“As an ongoing process, we have been successful in finalizing the co-operation with M/s Nashik Vintners Pvt. Ltd. (M/s Sula Wines) for three vintages from 2009 – 2011,” reveals Vinod.

Prescription for the Indian wine industry’s progress

As a new entrant to the Indian wine industry, what does Vinod prescribe for the industry’s development?  “Now it is time to pay an extraordinary attention by all the concerned for the betterment of Farmers, Industry, and Wine community…”

“Encourage the farmers to grow quality grapes and implement some standard practices for wineries to produce quality wines. That allows for healthy competition too,” says Vinod .

There is a need for more trained professionals, thus “Diploma and Engineering colleges should offer ‘Vine to Wine’ related courses” he adds.

Since the Indian wine industry has far to go, it is time that, “the Government of India should invest more on research and development activities and updating of new technology.”

“Encouraging export activities and standardizing taxes all over India at the same time would be another booster for the Indian wine industry,” says Vinod as he signs off. 

Venki
for www.indianwine.com

The Indian wine market never had it so good. Although still in its infancy, the industry is taking quick steps to put the industry on a fast growth track. Kapil Grover, Managing Director, Grover Vineyards, who was one of the first movers in the market is seeing the company grow by leaps and bounds.

With a portfolio comprising of- La Reserve, Cabernet Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognior Clairette and Shiraz Rose, the company is seeing its wines growing more and more popular each year. La Reserve is not only our flagship wine but one  of the most appreciated wines from the portfolio, says Grover. In fact, after observing the popularity of this wine, we have recently added 200 more barrels for the production of La Reserve. The company hopes to add to their portfolio the Sante range. Also, we have launched Shiraz & Chenin Blanc in August 2008. Growth rates have also been high and steady.  According to Grover, “We are targeting a growth rate of 30 % year on year. So, Indeed, yes, there has been a good growth in the sales and we are hopeful of making big profits year by year.”
 

The company has a turnover of approximately Rs. 25 Crores. Although small by international standards, the company is making efforts to speed up their growth. Says Grover with much pride, “We are already available in foreign markets. In 2001, we accomplished an extraordinary feat that was once next to impossible, which is, Grover Vineyards started selling wine to France, the kingdom of wine making! From humble beginnings then, we have also started exporting wines to highly critical markets like UK and USA. Grover wines have been greatly appreciated by the trade and consumers alike in foreign markets.”

Today we are exporting 2,50,000 bottles a year, and we are targeting a growth rate of 30 % year on year. Our wines have been appreciated because Indian cuisine is popular abroad which gave us a direct entry abroad unlike Chileans &  Austrians.. Also, I would not say that we did not have challenges to meet.. Indian wine has made massive progress over the last 10- 15 years and it has become more palatable now. People are developing taste for fine wines and this has further encouraged us to constantly focus on improving the final product at our end.

Our wines are famous for their quality and taste. Moreover, healthy competition is always welcome. Those with a good palate for good wines have appreciated our wines, which has encouraged us to make even better wines. Recently, Mr. Michel Rolland, the French wine consultant to the only Vineyards in India inaugurated their renovated winery in Bangalore. The winery has a state-of-the art barrel room. In addition  to the existing 200 barrels, as mentioned earlier, we have added

200 more barrels for the production of La Reserve. Earlier we had a production of 1.2 million bottles, now with the new renovated winery, we are looking at 2.4 million bottles, which is almost double. But Mr. Grover would not like to share the investment figures..

However he is very bullish about wines. Wine has become popular among all age groups. Indians are much more aware of their wine which has further helped them in food pairing. Actually, it’s just the beginning and there is a great future of wine industry in India. This makes us more confident to produce quality wines for them.

Courtesy:  http://www.ambrosiaindia.com

In a brief tête-à-tête with Abhay we discuss some pertinent issues related to the making of Four Seasons wines and its future in India as also in the international market. Abhay Kewadkar has learnt his wine making technicality in France and knows his work well.

What is the concept behind promoting the Four Seasons wines?
The concept of Four Seasons wines has always been to give to the consumer value for money wines, with pure grape varietals expression. We feel that some of the wines available in India today are far too expensive for the quality and do not adhere to information given on the label. This only confuses the consumer, creating another barrier to expand present consumer base which is very small. It took us one year to conceive & execute the whole project.

What production are you aiming for? What is the growth sustainability
plan?
The production in the first year will be 1.5 million bottles, to be scaled up 1 million cases at the earliest. The industry is growing today at 40%. However the base for wine is very small, hardly 1% of spirits sales, by international standards this should be 50%. UB group will expand its growth beyond 40% with focus on education, awareness and accessibility. This will help industry growth much beyond 40%.

Do you foresee a good export market for Four Seasons wines? Do you see it
in the French market too?
We aim to export 30% of our production, with focus on Europe and US. Well, France does export wines to all over the world being a leading wine manufacturing country. But they do import wines from all over the world as well. Wine Industry benefits with more & more choice being offered to the consumer, as regards to Grape varieties, country of origin and different years of
harvest. Also, Indian cuisine today is very popular all over the world; this is an automatic entry for Indian wines in International market.

What do you consider as a true asset of your Indian wines?
Ultimate strength of Indian wine will be what French term as “Terroir”. We have very good sun at the time of harvest, leading to very aromatic and ripe fruit style. Moreover it will have consistent style between one year to other, owing to less variation in the climate as against European climate wherein there can be big variations and some years can be quite disastrous.

Four Seasons wines will be true expressions of Terroir and varieties with good penetration in distribution & marketing strength. Could you sum up the UB group’s current wine interest?
Today UB group has in its portfolio the Bouvet-Ladubay wines; the winery the group owns is in Loire valley in France. Apart from that we have wines made in India there is the Four Seasons and ZINZI wines which have been recently launched. Under United Vintners Ltd the group is importing wines from France, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Italy, Chile and some other countries will shortly follow under our umbrella.

Courtesy:  http://www.ambrosiaindia.com

The first public tasting of a new wine is a great moment for any wine maker. To be an Indian wine maker and manage that first-ever tasting on an international stage especially in a place like France is an honour worth savouring. Abhay Kewadkar, the Senior Vice President & Chief Wine Maker from UB group lived that moment to the hilt when the four wines under the banner, ‘Four Seasons’, were tasted in France during an annual event orchestrated in Saumur by the Monmousseau family of Bouvet-Ladubay (the winery in Loire Valley owned by the UB group).

The Mood of the Event The triumvirate of wine, music and books comes together in this two day event in France’s Loire Valley held in Angers and Saumur, and 2008 was the 13th edition. The natural beauty of Saumur has been the cradle for many famous French writers and artists apart from some great wines that come from the celebrated region. Component of music is provided by young medical students who come and put together a band that plays at the market place with abandon. The event is attended by invitees who are brought on a train specially hired for the event, all the way from Paris. These are writers who are in the news and they come to celebrate with like minded people, and interact with members of the public. It is an honour to be invited for the event and you are looked after well. It is not a business platform so no publishers are invited but authors come and sign their books for any customers. There are fancy dinners and meals, and a general spirit of joie de vivre.

Each year the theme of the event is different. This year it was focused on Israel and India. Mundane aspects of the event like organising the train, raising the money for the event, ensuring that everything runs smoothly is done so effortlessly that Juliette Monmousseau actually found time to conduct a personal tour for the Indian ambassador in France and his wife to the caves of Bouvet-Ladubay. These caves are a magical part of the city with well orchestrated music playing while one goes through the old sections where old labels are stocked as also the cellars with barrels upon barrels of wines.

Saumur is known for its association with horses and horse riding schools and academies. The Monmousseau family has their own set of handsome horses and a pair even pulls a fancy carriage on the day of the event. Patrice Monmousseau, totally drawn into the mood of the event gets up next to the carriage driver and guides the horses; he even waves goodbye at the station as the band plays and the train pulls out – despite the non stop rain. On the train they offer people wines and before you board the train you are handed a bag that contains a nice picnic – water, chocolates, sandwiches etc. its definitely an event that stays in the memory forever and would often draw a smile when one remembers it.

Notes of Four Seasons Wines
Apart from members of the public, Abhay Kewadkar had two known names – Jacques Puisais and Bruno Li Paumard on April 12th & Bruno Li Paumard on the 13th at “Les Journées Nationales du Livre et du Vin” – Litterature & Wine festival in Angers & Saumur (respectively) – Loire Valley, France, when the Four Seasons wines were tasted. Here Bruno shares his professional view of the wines, and by all indications he was duly impressed with these wines from India.

Bruno says (On picture), ‘When I first tasted the wines of FOUR SEASONS, I was expecting for new world style. I have discovered that the brand new world (Indian vineyards) doesn’t follow the trend in the winemaking of a country

Bruno says, ‘When I first tasted the wines of FOUR SEASONS, I was expecting for new world style. I have discovered that the brand new world (Indian vineyards) doesn’t follow the trend in the winemaking of a country like Australia and looks more for some “Terroir” expressions

like Australia and looks more for some “Terroir” expressions.’ For the FOUR SEASONS - CHENIN BLANC, Bruno says, ‘This wine has got an intense gold dress. This intensity shows how the yield is under control. The nose is very fruity and lemony at the first sight and proposes some balsamic complexity on the end like the great Loire Valley ones. The mouth is full, rich, well balanced with a long perfume flavours on the end. This wine can be drunk before the meal or on its own just for the pleasure’.

The second wine of FOUR SEASONS, the SAUVIGNON BLANC, and Bruno says, ‘This wine has a light yellow dress. Its nose is unique Nothing to compare with any of the other Sauvignon Blancs of the world. A noble animal note surrounded with delicacy the fruity power of this wine is different. The mouth starts on the freshness to finish on a very unctuous  body. This wine can be paired with fish dishes with a powerful sauce like a meat based sauce.’

The third wine label to be tasted was the SHIRAZ, and Bruno says for this one, ‘A deep purple colour shine on this dress. Its nose reflects the complexity of its “terroir” with spices, and especially a beautiful natural aroma of cinnamon. The mouth starts on sweet tannins to be balanced on a second time and to finish on perfume. Definitely, this wine is made to be married with traditional curries or also with meat cooked with fruits like the famous Duck with Oranges!’

The last label of the tasting, the CABERNET SAUVIGNON, drew Bruno to say, ‘The dress of this wine is just black! Its nose, quite closed at the moment, gives first the typical green pepper aroma underlined by a mineral smoky touch. After a few minutes, a black fruit aroma discloses and makes the real dimension of this wine. A full bodied mouth with a high freshness shows a big potential in aging for this wine. As young as it is right now, I suggest to drink this nectar with grilled red meat in a few years time, I guess that it will be able to be paired with supreme recipes of meats with mushrooms and other strong spices.’ Bruno Li Paumard is a sommelier with books to his credit. He has professional qualifications garnered in France and in England and has been a finalist Best Sommelier of UK. He is the Oenologist and Training Manager of Bouvet-Ladubay since 1993 and the expert at many wine and spirit auctions. At the Saumur event he was accompanied by his charming young teenager daughter who was hanging on to every word of her father with obvious pride.
 
While conducting the tasting with Abhay, in Saumur, Bruno pointed out the locations of the winery on a map of India and answered some direct questions about the wines, their ageing and questions about the grapes in vineyard. Whatever he did not know was filled in or directly answered by Abhay. It is a mega project being carried forward in the plains of Baramati near Pune; under able guidance and leadership the wines are poised to make a place for themselves in the international and on domestic front too.

Courtesy:  http://www.ambrosiaindia.com

There’s a storm brewing in the wineglasses of India’s jet-setting drinking hubs. And it’s the hotel industry which is facing flak from the government over taking advantage of duty-free benefits while continuing to price wines at unreasonably high ends. However, in a recent meeting between hoteliers and DGFT, the government has threatened that if the industry continues to charge such rates, they will lose zero import duty SFIS benefit. A report.

The government is looking for action on a commitment by the industry to roll down prices and there’s talk of a threat to withdraw the duty-free benefits. All this does not augur well-especially in light of the Commonwealth Games coming up in two years from now.

The wine industry itself feels the move will boost demand. The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has apparently given a `strong suggestion’ to hotels and restaurants to cap the gross margins on wines to 250% of the cost-and liquor margins to four times the total costs. If this line is towed, it could bring down prices to 30-40%.

Wine price spillover
The issue has gone right up to the Commerce Ministry, with the Director General of Foreign Trade asking hotels to present a reduced price list. Apparently, the Taj and ITC Welcomgroup have already fallen into line with wine prices slashed by up to 35%. Tarapaca Chardonnay 2005 was available at Rs 1000 and St. Emilion Philippe Rothschild’03 at Rs 2,500.

The delaying tactics by other establishments has been due to a careful watch on excise policies, which will ultimately affect the margins. They are caught, so to speak, between the economics of the central and state governments-and their own motivations.

The duty-free import of wines was first ushered in after the hotel industry convinced the government that this would boost tourism. But now the government is seeing red over the big killing being made on account of these benefits which it says are not being passed onto the consumer. But that’s just one half of the picture and the FHRAI makes it clear that the perception of hotels ‘cashing in’ on benefits unduly is misrepresented. There is, however reticence to presently discuss the issue openly, since the matter is being thrashed out by all parties concerned-including the Hotels Association of India.

Sources say that what’s really underlying the sentiments is that the pricing formula is the prerogative of the hotel lobby-and they don’t want to be dictated to beyond a point. Firstly, the hotels say they are passing on the duty-free benefit to the consumer and the assumption that this is not being done is incorrect. Sources in Delhi say the excise duties, local taxes, cost of licenses (at Rs 5 lakhs), overheads of freebies thrown in, internal economics etc add up to the costs in any case. However, hotels opine that if there is a case for reduction-they are willing to reduce - but maintain that the reduction can’t be dictated.

Lobbying for profit?
However, some experts in the field have a different take on the issue. In fact, they mince no word in saying that there is a lobby within the hotel industry which has been taking advantage of the benefits in order ‘to line their own pockets’.

Of the total wine imports about 85 per cent is consumed by hotels and about 15 per cent by niche restaurants. After 2002 when the quota regime was in force, the industry began making noises with the government that they be allowed to avail of duty-free benefits on imported wines and liquor. The plea that time was based on making the products available at reasonable prices and in 2003 based on these representations, the government agreed to give duty free licenses. These licenses were granted on a duty-free entitlement provision to those establishments which could show significant revenues of foreign exchange. No demand for a ceiling on prices was at that time made. Some time down the line, the industry got back to the government saying they be allowed to enjoy the credit through these benefits in order to recover from the post 9/11 syndrome which had hit the hospitality sector hard.

However, years onward, the prices remained unchecked despite the recovery made by the industry. It is this which has given rise to the contention that the consumer is not getting what should be an assured benefit in the end cost. In fact, such are the variations, that the cost of a bottle of champagne can vary as much as three-fold within Delhi itself.

A taxing complex Reports suggest that further confounding matters in Delhi, the excise department may ask licensees to declare MRP on the wines. And that seems to be the crux of the issue. Stringent laws and duties and fees such as excise duty, licence fee, sales tax, brand/label registration fee, import/export fee, vend fee, gallonage fee, turnover tax etc. are only complicating the playing field overall.

Since alcoholic beverages are a State subject, differing policies and varying tax structures are adding to the lack of clarity. In India, the annual consumption of grape-based wine was estimated at 66,000 hectolitres in 2006, equivalent to 8 million bottles. It is expected to triple again by 2011. The rapid growth trend of around 30% per year corresponds to the strong growth observed in the economy and  tourism sector. The biggest wine consumption of up to 80% is confined to major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and the tourist destination of Goa. The rest of India has only 20% consumption, despite the growing awareness of the health benefits of wine. There are at least 15 main importers who sell about 450 imported wine labels in India.

Thirst for success
Upper crust Indians are taking to wine drinking like never before – with brands like Turning Leaf, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangre de Toro and Rosemount Estate Cabernet Sauvignon doing the rounds.

Ritu Dalmia, owner of Delhi-based Italian restaurant Diva, has gone on record to say: “Since we opened, wine sales have grown three times. Earlier, people used to ask for red or white wine. Now customers ask for specific labels. We are currently averaging sales of 320 bottles a month”.

And wine tasting has become a big affair-with 50 wine tasting sessions held in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore over a year. And yet, India’s consumption is comparatively still quite low. While it has the second largest population in the world and will soon catch up with China in terms of demographic density, India is only the 77th greatest consumer of wine in the world, despite improved growth in consumption over the past five years. Almost a quarter of still light wines drunk are imported. Having supplied 41.7% of all wines imported into India in 2006, France remains the leading supplier of still light wines to the sub-continent. Australia and the US are the other main suppliers. With such potential and with an industry still fledgling in its days, it would not augur well for the great imported wine brands to get lost in the foot-stomping presently going on over pricing between the government and five-star hotels.

Amitabh Joshi

Courtesy:  http://www.ambrosiaindia.com
 

Indage Vineyards, a modern and truly International new collection by Champagne Indage Ltd. has launched a wide and vivid portfolio of wines with Platinum series offering two varietals Sauvignon Blanc (White) and Merlot Shiraz(Red) and Gold series featuring Chardonnay Semillion (White) and Shiraz Cabernet (Red). These wines have been carefully crafted to suit the new age Indian wine consumer that seeks an International style of wine style and packaging and yet, provide great value in the product mix in comparison to the best offerings amongst BIO ( Bottled in Origin ) imported wines in India. These exclusively premium wines are originated from the Sahayadri Valley and come from the 2007 vintage collection.

From the Platinum series, the deep red Merlot Shiraz has aromas of blackcurrant, cherry and plum. The palate shows ripe red berry fruit and is ideal as an early evening aperitif or meat dishes. It tastes best with mature cheese, mild Indian curry and casseroles. Second to the collection is the Sauvignon Blanc which has straw yellow color with a greenish tint with strong citrus on the nose of eucalyptus and mint. Well complimented by the palate with fresh green apple and pepper. It is ideal as an outdoor aperitif or can be served with seafood salads, Thai and mild Indian curry and poached salmon.

In Gold series collection Shiraz Cabernet has a deep ruby red color with spicy characters of cinnamon, mint and blackcurrant. On the palate it provides a warm, long lasting finish and is ideal with lamb preparations, pasta, Indian curries and hard cheese. Chardonnay Semillion is brilliantly clear, golden yellow color which offers aromas of ripe fruits of apricot and peach. Its lingering fruit at the end of the mouth makes it ideal aperitif wine which compliments light food dishes.

The Indage Vineyards collection has evolved from the fruit of passion for wine making that overcomes the intricacies involved in creating each varietal style that is uniquely different with an aim to overachieve quality within given price points. These wines will cater to the ‘discerning wine consumer’.

About Indage Vineyards

Indage Vineyards, established by Champagne Indage Ltd (CIL) in 2002, features a portfolio of new world wines created as a celebration of its 25 year journey of excellence in oenology and viticulture in the tropics. Indage Vineyards wines truly symbolise the Company’s recognition as a quality wine producer through the vast array of global recognition that the Company has won with more than 40 wine quality awards won in just the first 4 vintages. The selections under Indage Vineyards are 100% estate grown and produced and bottled to deliver truly exceptional and unique fruit and flavor profiles. Indage Vineyards wines present a range of brands that reflects a new and emerging India that is fashionable and avante garde yet rich in culture and deeply reminiscent of its illustrious heritage.  They are most often found in the finest restaurants in India and the World as they represent a great point of difference to any discerning wine enthusiast.

About Champagne Indage Limited:

Champagne Indage Limited CILL), established in 1982, is India’ oldest & largest wine company and one of the fastest growing wine businesses globally. Within India, it produces more than 1.5 million (9 liter) cases of wine from 4 state of the art wineries and has complete backward integration from nurseries, biotech to its own estate vineyards of more than 2,000 acres. The Company controls more than 70% market share of wines produced in India utilizing a product portfolio of more than 40 brands in every price point and product type in the Indian wine industry which has given the company recognition of more than 70 International awards of quality from IWSC, Decanter and IWC. Globally, CIL owns a 3.5 million case winery called Thachi Wines in South Australia that produces a large range of Australian and New Zealand wine brands such as Red Sky, Broken Earth and South Bay. CIL’s Australia operations are based out of Vinecrest, a boutique estate winery in the famous Barossa region of South Australia. CIL also owns and operates, under Indage UK Ltd, a fully integrated wine supply chain management business which is an importer, bottling plant with a capacity of 3.5 million cases and a distributor to more than 4000 outlets in the UK.

In India, CIL is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and is part of the Indage Group that has interest in Restaurants & Leisure, Construction & Retail.

Robert Joseph has just completed the 2008 India wine challenge. He shared his experience exclusively with indianwine.com. The complete results of 2008 India Wine Challenge can be downloaded from here.

1. How do you feel about this year competition? Like response etc.
This year's competition was around 50% bigger, and attracted 77 Indian wines, the largest number ever judged in a blind competition. This, and the enthusiasm of the local and international judges gives me great optimism both for the Indian wine market and for the future of the Challenge. However, I was also pleased to see that the judges this year were tough in their allocation of awards. I would always rather feel that good wines were unlucky to miss out on a medal than that poor ones were lucky to get one


2. How do you compare the quality of the Indian wine from the Previous year?
There is a definite improvement, but much remains to be done. There is too much unripeness and too many winemaking faults that keep Indian wines from living up to their potential. There were many Seals of Approval; next year, i'd like to see many of these producers get Bronze medals.

3. Any wine particular wines very interesting to you this year?
I was particularly interested to see the success of Chateau d'Ori which has great potential for the future and currently seems set to take on Grover's mantle; and the Sula Late Harvest Chenin which may do more to build Sula's reputation than its well regarded Sauvignon Blanc

4. What is the next year goal?
The mission statement if the UK Challenge - and all other Challenges - is "to encourage more people to drink more good wine". And that's what I'd like to continue to do next year.
 

Venki
for indianwine.com

An introduction to Stephen

British winemaker Stephen Donnelly set foot in the Sahyadris to take up the position at Viral Pancholia's Mercury Wines. Stephen has been around in the wine-world for the past 23 years, and his current association with the Indian wine industry has added to the tempo of progress here.

It was in the year 1985 that he completed  the Wine Chemistry Course from Davis University, CA, USA, which was followed by a Wine Analysis and Wine Faults Course in the year 1986 from Wine Lab, Napa, USA. Since then, he has worked in Napa Valley,  UK,  Hungary,  Romania, South Africa  and  has recently added  India  to the list.

Over to the winemaker...

Stephen Donnelly speaks his mind

In December 2006 I was contacted by Viral Pancholia, the owner of the newly built Mercury Winery in Nashik to become their consultant and head winemaker.

Destination India :-)

As a consultant winemaker I find myself travelling to lots of different countries not knowing what to expect. This was my first visit to India and I only had two days to prepare for vintage, so it was all hands on deck. But first I had to get there and I can quite honestly say that the road from Mumbai airport to Nashik was a four hour, hair-raising experience! So it was a nice surprise for me to arrive at the Mercury Winery and find it to be a well equipped, modern winery.

Hands on...

As I like to actually make the wine physically myself, it's important for me to set in place strict quality control and hygiene practices. I believe that it is the attention to detail that makes the difference between a good wine and a great wine.

Getting to know the potential of Indian wines

To get a feel of wines available in the Indian market and to give me some idea of the characteristics to expect with Indian wine, I tasted around 40 wines of both red and white, but I was surprised that many of them had common faults like oxidation, hydrogen sulphide, cork taint and both high and low levels of sulphur dioxide. However, of those wines which were good I managed to get an idea of the full potential of the grapes grown in India.

There is a definite need for a good commercial laboratory in India for the analysis of wine which can give more data to the winemaker .Winery labs in India are only set up for basic analysis so a commercial lab will also help improve the standards of the winery labs.

My first harvest at Mercury Wines

The harvest went surprisingly well and with some surprising results. The Sauvignon Blanc surprised me the most as it is like the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, having good gooseberry and asparagus flavours and aromas. This shows me that the Nashik soils really suit the Sauvignon Blanc grape, even though the climate is much hotter.

Chenin Blanc is the most widely planted white grape variety in India which also impressed me with its fruity characteristics. In fact the Aryaa Chenin won a recommendation in the Decanter Magazine International wine competition 2008. There were also some good write ups for the reds as well as the whites from Steven Spurrier, which is not bad for my first year in India.

Work at the vineyards

After the successful 2007 vintage we made plans to improve the quality of both the vineyards and the wines for the 2008 vintage. This meant getting more involved with the actual growing of the grapes and setting strict guidelines with the Mercury winery viticulturist. I encouraged more responsible spraying programmes and correct use of fertilisers and less irrigation before harvesting. Regular visits to each grower throughout the growing period helped with the grape quality. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing as some growers opposed changed, especially if it meant reducing the crop to improve quality.

I also changed some small winemaking practices like using different strains of yeast to improve the wine. There are still lots of things to do to improve the quality further but that will take time and more perseverance.

What ails the distribution system in India?

It is one thing producing wine and another thing selling it! From what I've observed it is difficult for a small winery to sell wine in India through a distributor because bigger companies are giving wine free to distributors as part of their promotions. Therefore distributors expect this as part of the deal. It is difficult for small producers of wine to give away part of their profit when they have worked hard in producing the best quality they can, compared to some bigger companies producing lower quality wines at cheap prices. I believe there should be more government regulation and support for wine producers and not just the lowering of taxes.

Here to stay

The 2008 harvest proved to be better than the previous year and even the road from Mumbai to Nashik has shown some improvement! It’s an exciting time for India and the wine industry as it can only go from strength to strength and I look forward in being part of its future development.

Venki
for indianwine.com

Note: The following are the information provided by the Karnataka Wine Board.

Karnataka is one of the important states growing different wine varieties of Grapes. In Karnataka, the important Grape growing districts are considered as Nandi Valley and Krishna Valley. Grape cultivation requires heavy investment of capital. In addition, to produce grapes of high quality, the farmers have to put in hard efforts and additional investment. Nevertheless, the grape growers are always found to suffer from the variations in the prices of grape in the market and often fall into severe economic crisis. To over come this problem, there is need for value addition of the grapes and promoting grape products in both the local and the international markets. One such important product of grape is Wine. In Karnataka, there are plenty of opportunities for production of wine. The climatic conditions in the state are best suited for the production of grapes suited for wine making. There is a very good demand for wines both in local and international markets.

Compared to the other countries of the world, the rate of wine consumption is minimum in India. In our country, the rate of consumption of wine is growing at 25-30% per year. By providing congenial atmosphere to the wine industry, giving up the thinking that wine is an alcoholic beverage, and simplifying the taxation system, it is possible to boost the production and consumption of wines. By providing proper impetus to the wine production and marketing, it is possible for the farmers to get good remuneration to their produce. Farmers are going to come out of the market uncertainties, by linking grape production with wine processing. Since the export prospects for wine are huge, always there is an opportunity to get additional profit. With this background, there is a need for an integrated policy as related to production and marketing of wines in the state. Understanding the need for supporting wine production and marketing, the Government has declared a “Wine Policy” in the state.

Karnataka is one of the largest producers of table grapes in India, has two well established wineries one in Bangalore and another in Bijapur. In Karnataka the total wine sales in 2003-04 comprised 4.9 lakh litres which grew by 13 lakh litres in 2006-07 and 16.6 lakh litres in 2007-08. Karnataka Grape Wine Board is formed generally to promote the wine industry and to motivate the wine grape growers of Karnataka. Two potential regions have been identified for the development of wine industry, the regions are named into Krishna Valley which comprises Bijapur, Bagalkot and Bagalkot districts and Nandi Valley which comprises Bangalore Urban, Bangalore, Rural, Chikkballapur and Kolar Districts. Karnataka government has declared the grape wine production units as “Horticultural and Food Processing Industries”, and accordingly is liable to receive all the incentives and facilities that are meant for such industries.

Wine Board Establishment
• Setting up of Wine Board during November 2007.
• The constitution of the board will be as follows:

1. Dr.B.krishna, M.Sc(Horticulture), Ph.D
Managing Director (On picture)
2. Mr.B.Manjunath B.Sc(Horticulture), M.Sc. (Botany)
Manager
Office address
Karnataka Grape Wine Board
#78, KSBCL Office,
Seethalakshmi Towers,
Mission Road, Bangalore 27

The Objectives of the Board are as follows:
a) Inspection and control of Quality of grape crop.
b) Formulation of standards for quality of grape varieties suited for wine making, approval of the same and putting them into practice.
c) Rendering approval to labels to grape wines.
d) Devising and putting into action / implementation of various programmes and practices for the promotion of cultivation of wine grapes, wine industry, research, exhibitions, trade fairs, tour programmes and visits both within India and Abroad, sales of wines and market promotion.

• At present the total area under Grape Wine cultivation in Karnataka is around 600 acres and the total Grape Wine production is around 8 lakh litres.

• Karnataka state has two wineries.
a) Grover Vineyard in Dodballapur
b) Hampi Heritage in Bijapur

 

·       Total Wine sales in Karnataka (including fortified Wine)

• Total area increase in Grape Wine crop is going to reach around 1600 acres in the short time.

• Another 5 new wineries will be added to the Karnataka state in the year 2008-09.



Future plans of Wine Board:
1. To increase the area and production of Grape wine crop in Karnataka state by encouraging the large numbers of farmers.
2. Making Contract farming agreement compulsory to all the Grape Wine growers and should register in the Wine Board.
3. Creation of institutional support for farmers and industry to easily access technology support for cultivation of Grape Wine through IIHR, Bangalore and UAS, Dharwad.
4. Development of short term skill based training courses (Diploma and certificate courses) in Grape Wine cultivation and Industry.
5. To create database on Wine by developing the Wine Board website with all the advanced information on Wine cultivation and Wine industry.
6. Conducting promotional activities for creating awareness about Wine Grape Cultivation, Wine Production and Consumption. (Wine festival, Wine Tour, Seminars on Wine and Wine Etiquettes)

Proposed Wine Policy Part 1

Proposed Wine Policy Part 2

Sample Winery Project

Progress report Powerpoint Presentation (Download)

The third edition of Vinitaly held in Mumbai and New Delhi had been special for the wine connoisseurs as they had a chance to try the just released 2003 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino wines.

The event was not only marked with a good review from trade but also from the media apart from the fact that the discussions also revolved around the difficulties of the Indian market including the heavy tax structure and a relatively low response to the event in terms of visitors.

A report:

The trade, press and the wine lovers in Mumbai recently got a taste of some great Italian wines at the Vinitaly, Mumbai. Vinitaly-the world’s largest wine exhibition is held annually in Verona in April and attracts over 140,000 visitors and 4000 exhibitors from around the globe. Over the past decade Veronafiere has been investing in promoting Italian wines through a series of events held in some of the most interesting and evolving markets. In 2007, Vinitaly events were held in India, Russia, Japan, China and the USA.

The one-day dedicated wine events was held on 15th January at the ITC Grand Central hotel, Mumbai and was held on 17th January at The Grand Intercontinental Hotel in New Delhi and had included a series of informative seminars and a walk-around tasting.

The event saw over 100 of Italy’s top wine producers from almost every region of the Italian peninsula showcasing their wines along with selective producers of distillates, olive oils and balsamic vinegar - most of which were not yet available on the Indian market and were being showcased for the first time ever in India.

A range of informative seminars were run alongside the walk-around tasting and were hosted by leading experts from both India and Italy including Magandeep Singh, Michele Shah and Prof. Atilio Scienza. These seminars were focused on giving a broad perspective of Italian wines and also a deeper analysis of specific wine-producing zones such as Montalcino in Tuscany and the island of Sicily.

Present at this occasion were few consortiums of Italian wines growers like the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico represented by Silvia Fiorentini, the Marketing & Communication Manager and Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino represented by its President, Francesco Marone Cinzano.

Excited to be a part of this event for the first time, Silvia Fiorentini, Marketing & Communication Manager Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, said, “I believe there is a great future ahead for Chianti Classico wines in India. Though it seems like a difficult market at the moment, we are aware of the fact that India is one of the emerging markets.”

The Consorzio has already planned to come back to India next year with an aggressive marketing and promotional strategy. Silvia added, though we are aware that the prevailing tax structure ultimately makes Chianti Classico wines expensive for the Indian consumers, we hope that a positive change in future will surely help us invest further in the Indian market. Under a European community financed project, various promotional programmes and seminars will be conducted next year in India.

Chianti Classico represents 17 different wine estates from the Chianti region, Italy which represents 95 per cent of the Chianti Classico DOCG wines.

Silvia is looking at two possibilities to promote Chianti Classico wines. First through an efficient importer and distributor and secondly through hotels and restaurants.

However, “We are here to invest first on communication. A lot of educational and trade trips to Italy are in pipeline”, she added.

Alessandro Bindocci from Tenuta IL Poggione said, “We have never sold our wines in India but we are here to create awareness about our brand. We will be introducing two Montalcino wines, Brunello di Montalcino and Rossa di Montalcino very soon.” The company produces ½ million bottles of wine every year out of which it produces about 200,000 of Brunello and around 1,50,000 bottles of Rossa di Montalcino. We export around 60 to 70 percent of our production. We will be increasing our production to 30,000-50,000 bottles by the next 5 years.”

It was exhilarating to see one of the best Italian white wines produced by Jermann wines at the event. Speaking of the specialty of Jermann whites, Angelo Jermann said, “The region Fiuli, situated close to Venice has a perfect climate and soil to produce white wines. These factors make Fiuli the best place to produce white wines. Around 90 per cent of our production is of white wines.” The portfolio of Jermann wines has varieties including Jermann Chardonnay, which is the king of international white wines portraying elegance and a good body. Other important wines from Jermann portfolio are Jermann Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio. Angelo added, “But our most important white wines are blends, from different grapes planted in the same vineyard. We pick them altogether-from a vineyard which is a Grand Cru to the vineyards which produce wines from a single vineyard. For example, the Vintage Premiere is the best white wine produced by our company. For this wine, we have been receiving awards since many years. It is a blend of 5 different grapes. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malvasia, Picolit and Ribolla (locally produced grape varieties).

Jermann wines are available in India since 4 years through its local partner Brindco. The wines that Angelo showcased in this year’s Vinitaly were, ‘Vinnae’- which has 100 percent Ribollozzala which is a typical local grape variety indigenous to Fiuli, rich with mineral. Second wine was Tunina Venezia Giulia, which is a combination of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. “Pinot Grigio is the most successful and highest selling brand in India. In total we sell about 500 cases of Jermann wines in India and bout one fifth of it is Pinot Grigio”, he added. The price of a Pinot Grigio bottle in a restaurant in India is around Rs 5000/- and a bottle of Tunina Venezia Giulia is about Rs 8000/-.

The well known Sicilian wine brand, Donnafugata has just recently entered the Indian market. Elena Bortoletto, who represented the company, said “Finewinesmore, the importer and distributor of our brands in India, sells 2 whites, 3 reds and one sweet wine from Donnafugata’s portfolio. The entry level white wine is a blend of Pinot Grigio and Catarratto. There are also two Sicilian blends Ansonica and Catarratto in the brand called Anthilia. In red wine, at the entry level we have SEDÀRA, which is a 100 per cent Nero d’ Avola, TANCREDI which is a blend of 70 per cent Nero d’ Avola and 30 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is aged in oak barrel for 14-16 months. Another red wine which has been getting good response in India is MILLE E UNA NOTTE with 90 per cent Nero d’ Avola and 10 per cent indigenous Sicilian grape variety. For vinifications the MILLE E UNA NOTTE grapes are harvested in September during the middle of the night. The night harvest provides cooler temperatures and less oxygenation of the grapes before pressing. The juice is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel and skin contact lasts about 12 days. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged in new French barriques for two years and in bottle for one year before being released.”

The company also sells its top sweet wine called BEN RYÉ. It is a white wine naturally Sweet DOC Passito di Pantelleria Zibibbo. The wine displays its extraordinary personality and depth initially with its bright amber yellow color.

Donnafugata produces 2 million bottles in total every year. However, just 250 cases are sent to India yet.

Italian wines are amongst the best and the vast range of wines produced in this country makes it one of the most interesting wine-producing regions of the world. Over recent years the popularity of Italian wines has increased significantly. This can be attributed to the qualitative improvements introduced by the producers thus enabling them to offer great value-for-money wines. More specifically, in India, another reason for this surge is the increasing number and popularity of Italian fine-dining restaurants across metros.


WINES OF BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

The evening tasting session of Brunello di Montalcino wines was conducted by Michele Shah, the well known journalist and wine writer and author, a specialist in Italian wines. Happy to see the level of awareness, she said, “Brunello is not an easy wine to taste so, I was impressed with the awareness level of the people during the tasting session.”

Speaking of the wines from cloned sangiovese grapes, she said that Brunello wines are from cloned sangiovese grapes too which the producer selects from its own vineyard. Cloned sangiovese represents few of the finest wines of Italy. It is worth mentioning that there is a lot of research work going on regarding the cloning of sangiovese grapes in Italy at the moment.

Some of the wines tasted during the session were:

1) Poggione 2003– Produced by Franceschi Leopolde e Livia – In south of Montalcino, the winery is of 19th century. The producer uses new clones of sangiovese and there is new vinification cellars used for this wine. The producer is keen to maintain and retain a traditional style of wine making. The winery is spread over 100 hectares of land. The wine is stored in large oak barrels for 36 months. The wine is soft at the palate with long tannins. It is a well balanced wine.

2) La Poderina 2003– Produced by Saiagricola S.p.a – The wine comes from the south western part of Montalcino. It’s a medium sized estate with the vineyard situated at 350 meters above sea level. The winery is built on a less traditional model.

La Poderina is a ruby red with a good concentration, nice hint of cherry berry, fairly tannic but young. The wine fruity on nose but has a solid structure underneath. This wine goes well with food.

3) Ciacci Piccolomini d’ Aragona 2003- Produced by Bianchini Societa Agricola S.s- The winery is situated in the South Eastern part of Montalcino. The winery is spread over 200 hectares. The wine has a sweet aroma and a balanced taste.

4) Banfi 2003- Banfi S.r.l. – Established in 1960, the winery is owned by Mariani Family. The winery is spread across 800 hectares. Banfi is one of the largest wineries in Montalcino region. The vineyard produces Rosso – 7, 20,000 out of 100 hectares and Brunello – 7, 00,000. The winery uses 50 different clones of Sangiovese grape. Banfi 2003 is a nice and fruity wine with an aroma of cherry and silky tannins, great acidity. It has a round and fullness on the palate.

5) CoL d’ Orcia Riserva 1999– Tenuta Col d’ Orcia S.p.a. – The winery produces 4, 30,000 bottles of wine in total. The wine has a dense ruby red colour and it offers a lot of complexity. The first batch of Riserva was produced in 18th century. The winery produces nice and elegant wines most of it stored for 4 years in oak barrel. This winery belongs to Franchesco- the president of the Consorzio of Brunello di Montalcino. The winery is based at 450 meters above sea level and the vineyard faces direct south. The climate and the soil are just perfect for Brunello.


A TASTE OF ITALIAN CUISINE WELL PAIRED WITH WINE

The same evening, Finewinesnmore and Hyatt Regency celebrated the introduction of some great wines from Donnafugata and Carpene Malvolti vineyards along with great Italian cuisines prepared by the new Chef Giuseppe Zanotti.

Chef Giuseppe presented hot Neapolitan puttanesca sauce of olives, tomatoes ,capers and fresh parmesan cheese, rich, satisfying wines with a smooth satiny texture from the valleys of Sicily “An Italian table is incomplete with out its wine said Chef Giuseppe.

The dinner included Chef Giuseppe ‘masterpieces’ steamed prawn salad with heart of artichoke, parmesan shaving and lemon dressing; Tortelli Piacentini with spinach, ricotta filling and butter sage sauce. The chef's artistic influence was obvious in tuna tartar that comes heart-shaped, with chopped red, green and yellow bell peppers, zucchini and saffron sauce.

This Magical Combination of Excellent Italian Cuisine and the Finest Wines transported the guest to the world of Fine dining Italian Haven.

- Rojita B. Tiwari
 

Courtesy:  http://www.ambrosiaindia.com
 

Dr Jaideep Kale, Technical Coordinator, Wine Park, Maharashtra tells IndianWine.com about how he found his place in the Indian wine industry...

Q. Please tell us about your background, especially how you came to join the Indian Wine industry?

A. I completed my Bachelors degree in Horticulture Science from College of Horticulture, Pune, Maharashtra. I followed it up with a Masters degree in Agriculture Plant Pathology from University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, in the state of Karnataka. I pursued my Doctorate in viticulture from Agriculture University, Gujarat.

After these years spent in academic pursuits, I took up jobs with multinational companies like Synjenta, State Grapes Association and Seed company.

Since I had pursued the study of grapes for my PhD, grapes were my latest interest. It was opportune that at the same time, the Central Government of India was taking a serious interest in establishing Food Processing Industries in India, particularly Maharashtra.

At that point of time in India, particularly in the grape growing and winemaking industry, we were all new. Maharashtra was just exploring its grape growing and winemaking potential. The time was just right for me to join the Indian Wine industry and pitch in with my academic expertise. Those were the beginnings, and we have come far, but still there is way to go!

Q. What are your personal favourites in wine?

A. In whit