Indian Wine Industry : UB

The Future of Four Season Wines in India & Abroad

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:04:00 GMT

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

UB’s Four Seasons Wines Forays In France

admin — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:48:00 GMT

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

Never-ending wine season: UB has it good!

venki — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:12:00 GMT

Abhay Kewadakar shares with Indianwine.com, the latest at United Breweries. With Zinzi wines already tingling the market in Mumbai, Pune and Goa, this month end will find the delightful red and white wines in Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata too.

‘Find any reason, or not one,’ to enjoy Zinzi red and white wines is the message UB is here with. And why not, when everything from the wines itself to their market placement has been thought of in great detail by the tsars of winedom in India.

The idea is to reach the young consumers. Bottled in two sizes – a ‘you-n-me’ 750 ml and an ‘I-me-myself’ 375 ml one, the concept is definitely set to impact the target market. Cheers, UB!

Looking at a young consumer base, everything about Zinzi wines is honed to make it more attractive for the young at heart. Easy cap screw caps replace the classical cork. No more worrying about finishing the bottle in a single sitting! Now, that works well with young people – convenience and style -- great wines teamed with a great selling concept.

Zinzi red wine claims its goodness from French grape varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz & Zinfandel. Abhay has made sure that the fruity and approachable wine gets quick appreciation from new wine converts in particular. Zinzi red has been blended to go with the wide spread of Indian cuisine. It is best enjoyed at 16ºC, says the winemaker. The alcohol content is 12.5% for both Zinzi red and white, says Abhay.

Zinzi white, says the winemaker is a blend of Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. It is optimally enjoyed at a temperature of 10ºC, and pairs well with mildly spiced Indian cuisine.

Zinzi wines were launched in select cities, way back at the beginning of the year. And now, their increasing availability in cities like Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata by March-end, goes to say that the wine is on target with its target market. Abhay adds that Zinzi will reach newer cities post April.

UB is all geared up for this new range of wines. A new winery at Baramathi is already up and working. Harvesting began early this month and the wines will be ready by October for the market. The vineyards have been meticulously groomed according to international standards, the equipment, needless to say, the very best, imported from France and Italy. So we can safely say that UB has got a big thing brewing here. Everything from production, to quality and most importantly marketing and product visibility is in coordination. Considering UB’s distribution network, Zinzi has far to go…

Even though the current production is 1.5 million bottles, it is slated to rise to 5 million bottles in the coming 3 to 4 years. The investment in plant, building and equipment is about Rs 20-80 cores, over 300 acres of land. Other than UB’s own vineyards, the onus is high on contract farming for about 1000 acres with locally trained farmers. Though Zinzi is the new entrant, Four Seasons wines are no less visible – with a huge pre-launch buzz through tastings and other marketing facilities,

Four seasons wines will be launched in month’s times, informs Abhay. Cabernet, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc will hit the market first, to be followed by Rose and Zinfandel. UB truly has something planned for the whole of the year 2008! The end of the year will find UB’s reserve wines being launched.

All of UB’s products are firmly backed by marketing and distribution facilities. It is marketing plans and education that marks the cutting edge, feels Abhay. Once the wine gains acceptability, prices are no problem, states India’s first Indian winemaker. Going by his know-how in the field, one must believe him. What say? Abhay is all excited about the marketing events: prime tastings, sponsoring of big events like derby, fashion shows and select exhibitions, to name a few.

UB is already importing quality wines from France, New Zealand (hunter, Astro labs, sacred hill) priced between Rs 1200 and Rs 3000 per bottle, and has a great feel of the premium market segment. Soon enough they will be launching South African wines, touching a wide price range between Rs 700 to Rs 12500. Also, wines from Burgundy in the price range of Rs 850 to 20,000 will soon be imported here.

The market has been tested for all the above, and Abhay discloses that despite the high-duty on imported wines, price would hardly kill the market as tasting events would have created a ready demand by then among connoisseurs. The response so far has been very encouraging, and price in the premium segment is hardly an issue…

Zinzi, Four Seasons, and premium imported wines – UB sure plans to bring wine to Indians in a big way.

for indianwine.com, Venki