·
Written by
·
Jancis Robinson
17 Nov
2012
Wine arrives in India
·
·
·
This is a longer
version of an article also published in the Financial Times.
On my first visit to India, in
2002, I met one of the country's first wine writers, a young woman who told me
that her friends would routinely ask her, 'What's the point of wine? Whisky gets you drunk so much
quicker.'
How things have changed. Despite punitive taxation and
mind-boggling regulation and paperwork, India now has a thriving wine culture -
or at least the vast middle class and 'upper crust' (the name of an Indian
glossy magazine) do.
Taxes and duties on imported wine are imposed by both
national customs and the individual state. They are cumulatively so high that
consumers can pay 10 to 12 times the initial cost of a bottle when they buy
wine from one of India's relatively few but growing wine retailers. A basic
bottle of the leading imported brand Jacob's Creek, for example, could easily
cost the equivalent of £20 off a shelf, and many times more on a hotel wine
list.
The hotels, and in particular the major hotel chains,
played the crucial initial role in introducing Indians to wine, and they still
largely provide the settings for the wine dinners sporadically organised by
foreign wine producers trying to establish themselves in this small but growing
market. Château Margaux, for example, a first growth keen to repeat Lafite's
dramatic success in China, flew in Alain Passard of Arpège in Paris to design
and cook a vegetarian dinner to go with their wines last December, mindful that
40% of Indians do not eat meat.
Back in 2002 you could count the number of licensed
restaurants independent of hotels even in Delhi and Mumbai on the fingers of
one hand. Today the introduction of a special, much cheaper, licence for
establishments serving only beer and wine has encouraged many more cafés and
casual eating places to offer wine. There is now sufficient interest in wine
service for the most charismatic of young Indian sommeliers, irreverent
Magandheep Singh, to have forsaken the dining room for a consultancy and the TV
screen. But in general, Indians who want to sell wine have to submit to an
expensive and cumbersome process designed originally for the distribution of
spirits, which has been a deterrent.
Until Indians were introduced to wine, a typical
retail outlet for alcohol was a heavily guarded, steel-caged, none-too-clean
shop selling dubious spirits to even more dubious men. A major brake on the
development of wine culture in India initially was the poor quality of storage
conditions and transport for a liquid that is so much more susceptible to heat
damage than spirits and beer. But smart, well-lit, air-conditioned wine stores
are beginning to proliferate in India's newer shopping malls, affording women a
chance to handle and buy bottles, too.
Wine has opened the door to social drinking for Indian
women, who before its introduction into Indian society were expected to merely
watch while their menfolk downed whisky in great quantity before a late dinner.
Today wine and food are often consumed together, European style (although
dinner invitations specifying '8.30 for 11 pm' are by no means a thing of the past).
In fact, as one Indian political economist friend put it to me, wine
consumption can be regarded as a 'signifier' in Indian society, signifying not
only that the consumer has a certain level of material wealth but also that
they understand western mores.
What is remarkable is the speed with which India has
gone from a country where a tiny handful of the very rich drank nothing but the
most famous names in wine to one in which thousands, possibly tens of
thousands, of young, well-travelled Indians are beginning to appreciate the
nuances of a wide range of wines, both domestic and imported.
The founder and editor of the
country's leading wine magazine Sommelier India is
a woman. Reva Singh saw an opportunity back in 2004 'when India had no wine
culture', as she puts it, but today she has about 20,000 regular readers, and
subscribers in such 'second tier' cities as Allahabad and Shillong. Even the
prime whisky state of Punjab is being converted to the grape, she reports.
Wine bars, wine clubs and wine fairs are sprouting all
over the country. But what of Indian wine? Its quality has slowly been
improving, and it has the huge advantage of being less savagely taxed than
imports. One large company Château Indage that made sparkling wine with
imported French expertise expanded so rapidly recently that it went pop. The
founder of the most serious red-wine producer, Kanwal Grover, died recently but
only after establishing Grover Reserve Bordeaux blend, made with the help of
ubiquitous consultant Michel Rolland of Pomerol, as a seriously reliable Indian
red.
But the current leader of the Indian winemaking pack
is Sula, founded by Rajeev Samant, who returned from a career in Silicon Valley
in the1990s to found this dynamic wine producer in Nashik, in the state of Maharashtra,
about 120 miles north east of Mumbai, which had long grown grapes for the
table. This year Sula, now a tourist destination (the picture above is from
their website, showing a couple relaxing looking at their vines), will fill a
total of 4.5 million bottles and ship them to 20 countries. Sula's reputation
is founded on fresh, clean whites, especially the crisp Sauvignon Blanc that
can seem like nectar in India's sultry climate.
A week last Sunday Sommelier India organised The Great Indian Wine
Tasting, assembling some of the country's best-qualified palates to judge blind
up to four wines submitted by a dozen of the best Indian wineries. (Three
wineries' wines failed to make it because the relevant domestic airline refused
to fly wine on the basis that it is alcohol and therefore dangerously
inflammable.) The judges decided that overall Indian whites are better than the
reds, although since storage conditions constitute wine's greatest enemy after
taxation in India, it may be that whites, generally sold younger than reds,
have an inbuilt advantage.
There is currently no effective wine law in India and
therefore no controls other than cost on blending and labelling different
wines. T
he outfit in charge of wine is
known rather ominously as the Indian Grape Processing Board,
but India is a recent recruit to the OIV, the international body for wine
regulation and technical advancement, which bodes well.
Already there is considerable technical input from
abroad. Sula's winemaker is Californian. The relatively new Fratelli operation
is run by Piero Masi, ex-winemaker of Isola e Olena in Tuscany. However, the
special conditions in India's low latitudes (generally mitigated by high
altitudes) call for specific expertise in tropical viticulture which is very
different from the conventional sort.
But all are agreed that wine has finally arrived in
India.
The following
wines were chosen as best in a recent blind panel tasting organised by
Sommelier India.
BEST WHITES
Fratelli Chardonnay
Fratelli Chenin Blanc
Nine Hills Viognier
Reveilo Grillo
KRSMA Sauvignon Blanc
Sula Sauvignon Blanc
Big Banyan Sauvignon Blanc
BEST REDS
Grover Cabernet/Shiraz
KRSMA Cabernet Sauvignon
Four Seasons Barrique Reserve Shiraz
Fratelli Sangiovese
Sula Rasa Shiraz
ROSÉ
Grover Shiraz
Sula Zinfandel
Nine Hills Shiraz
SPARKLING
Zampa Brut
Indian wine - a progress report
My first exposure to Indian wineries and vineyards
last month was a revelation. It's extraordinary in a way that anyone persists
with viticulture in such a hot climate with its months of monsoons, but about
50 wineries do, and I was told that there have so far been almost 1,000
applications for winery licences.
After China, India with its burgeoning middle class
holds out the promise of the world's biggest potential for market growth, but a
complex web of taxes and regulations seems likely to contain that growth for
quite a while yet (and is presumably discouraging many who have applied for
licences from proceeding).
As in France, wine may not be
advertised, but in India there are restrictions on even mentioning the word
wine. The magazineSommelier India gets round
this because it is considered a trade publication. Here's how its founder
editor Reva K Singh describes the current fiscal situation:
To begin with,
each state in India has its own excise policy and the liquor laws vary from
state to state. It's like each state is a different country because there are
different import and export duties between states and each one is a law unto
itself. Besides state taxes, there are various other charges between states
such as excise duty, special fees, label registration fees, etc.
The charge for an
out-of-state wine to enter Maharashtra [the most wine-friendly state] for
example is two rupees per bottle but the final cost ends up at 3,000 rupees,
some of it legitimate and some not, and so it goes.
The policy for financial
year 2018 is being finalised right now and changes are expected in many states.
The central
customs duty on imported wines into India is 162.6% before the various state
duties and levies kick in. The final retail price of an imported wine goes up from
eight times to 10 times its FOB price.
The add-ons are
customs and state duties, cost and freight charges, and storage costs in
bond . The wine importer also has to contend with trade margins and
marketing expenses that can add up to around 40%.
The industry is
afflicted by vague, illogical and contradictory government regulations.
According to the
most recent news, from 1 April, all retail stores, restaurant and hotels within
500 metres of a state or national highway will not be allowed to sell liquor.
This will have an adverse impact on thousands of businesses including many
major hotels, unless they can get an exemption.
About two years
ago containers of wine and luxury goods worth millions of rupees were turned
back or languished in our ports awaiting clearance. The root of the problem was
the heavy-handed strictures of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India. (FSSAI).
One can go on,
chapter and verse.
And here are the observations of a seasoned member of
the Indian wine trade:
Being a wine lover,
I always hate the fact that cost of wine is mighty expensive in both the food
service industry as well as retail segment in India. I firmly believe that this
as one of the key reasons for the slow growth of the wine industry in India.
This becomes a handicap not only for new trials and recruitment in this segment
but also compels wine lovers to shift to beer, RTDs, soft beverages or other
economical alternatives.
Local v
international wines
I worked in the import business for over nine years. Having worked with many
producers and wine groups from over 16 wine-producing countries, I always
experienced their discontent due to high and dual taxation. Also the varied
policies and multiple levies across the country make it difficult to develop
business organically.
India has a
central taxation and the customs duty applicable on imported wines is 162% of
CIF. This is probably among the highest percentile of duty levied by any
country. As there is no central taxation on Indian wines, it seems to have
convinced them that this has been done to support the Indian wine industry and
slow down the progress of international wines in India.
However, after
gaining first-hand experience of running the business for Grover Zampa
Vineyards - the Indian pioneer, most-awarded and second-largest Indian producer
- for over four years now, I feel the growth of Indian wine industry is also
slowed by similar conditions. Even though there is no customs duty applicable
on domestic wines, the entry cost of doing business is very high, which is thus
a hindrance to its growth. The big concern here is that wine is pegged with
domestic spirits. The entry cost and barriers are similar in spite of the fact
that domestic wine industry is below 3 million cases as against 320 million
cases of spirits.
We were looking,
for instance, at the new policy for the state of Haryana. It came as a shock to
several domestic producers to learn that the cost of a licence has gone up to
two million rupees (about £25,000 or $31,000). It does not stop here. There is
also the cost of registration per label. Add to this the warehousing costs,
which can be easily absorbed by an Indian spirits company due to larger
volumes, but for a wine producer this is a big hindrance to conducting business
in this state. International wines on other hand do not require such an
extensive and expensive logistics process. As a result, several cheap
international wines are available in stores at lower prices than premium Indian
wines.
Variation between
states
Alcoholic beverages come under the state jurisdiction and every state has its
own excise policy. This makes it tough for any wine producer and importer in
India to conduct business. The end consumer price for a wine could increase by
even 50% due to the varied policy structures between different states. You
could compare the 29 states to 29 different countries with their own policies
and routes to the market. This is also one of the reasons that many wine
importers and producers do not even operate in half of the markets. The drinks
industry was hopeful that GST [a possible system of indirect taxation currently
being discussed] could bring some rationality and will ease the process to
conduct business. Unfortunately, this segment will not be covered under the
preview of GST so we need to wait and hope for a new initiative in this regard.
Hotels v retail
The majority of premium international wines are consumed in hotels thanks to
the DFEC, the duty exemption licence that was approved by the Ministry of
External Affairs to foster tourism. This entitles hotels and restaurants to
earn credits based on the foreign exchange earned by them. They can redeem
their credits earned under the DFEC licence to offset the customs duty applicable
on the alcoholic drinks they serve. Thus wine procured under this scheme
reaches them at much lower value compared with other food service and retail
segments. So the retail segment accounts for less than 15% of premium and fine
wine sales, those with a CIF value of above $10 a bottle. The trend has shifted
to wines below $4 CIF per bottle that can be retailed below 3,000 rupees on the
shelf, a category that represents over 70% of all imported wines.
The future
As a wine lover and wine producer, I really hope that wine can be detached from
the spirits and beer segments and be recognised under the food industry's
terms. With a uniform and rational duty structure across the country, the wine
industry can bloom and pave the way for wine tourism, rural development,
employment generation, higher returns to farmers for quality produce and the
growth of other associated services.
There are all sorts of peculiarities about wine in India, and not just the
difficulties associated with selling it.
Such a relatively small
proportion of Indians are familiar with what wine should taste like that it's
admirable that the major wine producers take as much trouble as they do to
overcome the many disadvantages – fiscal, regulatory, social and natural – that
they face. In China, for example, there has been no shortage of producers
selling relative rubbish dressed up as wine to the legion of unsophisticated
consumers there (see our series on Chinese fakery, for example), but I found all of the wines below at
least drinkable, and recognisably made from the fermented juice of grapes. And
some of them were better than that.
Admittedly, I have tasted wines from only 11 of those
50 wineries in India, but this trip focused on the market leaders - Sula,
Grover Zampa, Fratelli and York, the biggest family-owned winery (most of the
bigger companies have some outside investors). More specifically, I was
surprised that all the unexpectedly competent sparkling wines we tasted were
all made using the painstaking traditional method, when I would have thought
that the average Indian consumer might have been perfectly happy with a
tank-fermented product.
Those with long memories will remember that the modern
Indian wine industry was pioneered by Chateau Indage and their Omar Khayyam
sparkling wine brand, launched with much fanfare in London in 1986. It was
initially made from Thompson Seedless and other table grapes that were widely
grown in India then. Having ambitiously extended its operations outside India,
it went into liquidation in 2011, leaving many a grape and wine supplier in its
wake. Many of the grape contracts were taken up by Sula and Grover. Other
farmers changed to table grapes or pomegranates, a more financially rewarding
crop, I was told.
I was interviewed by the local
correspondent of The Times of India in Nashik,
the country's centre of wine production – partly because of official encouragement
by the state of Maharashtra – and asked how I would rate Indian wine. A
difficult question, as you may imagine. In a comment I see went unreported in
favour of some of my more flattering observations, I said that if the worst
wines of the world were rated one and the very best 10, then Indian wine was
perhaps three overall. (This from someone who is on the record as saying she
doesn't like scoring wine!)
The sort of superior wines I was shown during my
extremely rapid immersion in Indian wines tend to cost about 600 to 700 rupees
(almost £10) a bottle retail, which makes them a 'super-luxury' item for most
Indians. Entry-level wines are predictably the most popular but apparently
there is much more demand for red than white, which is surprising in a way. You
might think that a refreshing glass of white (or rosé, for which there is
little demand), with perhaps a bit of residual sugar to complement the spicy
food, would be much more the thing. The residual sugar is sought after, I was
told – so much so that Fratelli, the Italo-Indian joint venture that shares a
winemaker with Isola e Olena in Tuscany, state as their USP that their wines
are bone dry.
I don't think it was just the ambient temperatures of
up to 40 ºC that made me more enthusiastic about the whites I tasted than most
reds. The reds tend to be very deeply coloured since in the dry climate grapes
are small and thick skinned. (Despite the ill-timed monsoon downpours,
irrigation is essential in Indian vineyards and right up to the moment of harvest
to stop grapes shrivelling.) Once these grapes are in the winery, the foreign
oenologists widely hired to advise new wineries rapidly back off extended
macerations once they have tasted the tannin levels that tend to result. Below,
Tempranillo grapes arriving at Sula winery in Nashik during my visit.
More seriously, however, many of the reds,
particularly the Maharashtra Cabernets, showed that sort of 'drains' or 'burnt
rubber' smell that used to be associated with South African reds.
Some hypothesise that this is a symptom of drought or
heat stress in the vines – and the vines certainly suffer. Those in the
lavishly touristic grounds of Sula looked absolutely exhausted, with limp,
shrivelled brown leaves (see below). Others mention the leafroll virus that
plagues some vineyards.
But Alessio Secci of Fratelli (a native of the Chianti
Classico town of Tavernelle; his mother helped him recruit Piero Masi) is
convinced it's a symptom of bacterial infection. A vertical tasting of their
flagship red, Sette, was a revelation. The debut vintage 2009 was a competent
Bordeaux blend, perhaps benefiting form the cleanliness of brand new equipment.
The 2010, on the other hand, reeked of the offending odour, and we (I was
travelling with fellow MW and winemaker Liam Steevenson and food and wine
matcher Fiona Beckett) were told that this was the year they used least
sulphur, at Tuscan winemaker Piero Masi's suggestion. Alessio reports that the
offputting aroma tends to increase in bottle, which is perhaps why it is caught
by wine producers early on.
Since 2010 Fratelli have been careful to use much more
sulphur at judicious stages, being aware that the heat tends to reduce the
amount of free sulphur, and are now fanatical about water quality and winery
and vineyard hygiene. They try to keep temperatures as low as possible when
grapes travel to the winery (early morning picking only is customary in India)
and during storage. In the vintages from 2011 onwards there was no trace of any
offputting odour, which suggests they may have cracked this problem.
The prevailing high temperatures are constant
challenges for the Indian wine industry, particularly as they affect transport
and storage. For this reason, wines tend to be stored for extended periods in
tank and are bottled only when orders have to be fulfilled, since it is so much
easier to cool a tank than extensive pallets of bottles.
Grape varieties
Chenin Blanc is arguably the most popular and
successful white wine grape in India, and tends to form the basis of the
growing band of sparkling wines. The entry of LVMH's domestically produced
Chandon into the Indian market shook up the sparkling wine scene and even the
ebullient Rajeev Samant, founder of Sula, admits it made him raise his game
(and prices) and jazz up the packaging of Sula fizz to compete. Chandon offered
such high grape prices, I was told, that the national shortage of Chenin Blanc
has now been followed by an excess.
Chardonnay has so far failed to thrive but this may be
a question of the wrong clones. Sula has had great success with the Sauvignon
Blanc they introduced to India.
As in the rest of the world, Indian growers have been
encouraged to grow Cabernet Sauvignon but this late-ripening variety seems far
from ideal. Grapes have to be picked before the seriously hot summer weather,
and monsoon rain, arrives in April. A second pruning that fires the starting
pistol for the growing season is not until October after the monsoon season,
and it can be difficult for Cabernet phenolics to ripen fully before harvest,
so there can be a certain amount of greenness in Cabernet-based wines.
Syrah, called Shiraz here, seems more reliably
successful, and there are high hopes for Tempranillo too.
Nashik, incidentally, is the modern spelling of Nasik.
The 62 wines below are grouped by producer in
alphabetical order and then listed in the order tasted.
FRATELLI
The brothers (fratelli) in question are the Seccis of Tuscany and the
Sekhris and Mohite-Patils of India. Kapil Sekhri above presents a Sette
vertical at the Taj Falaknuma Palace in front of a deeply politically incorrect
painting (not his fault). Based a three-hour drive from Pune in southern
Maharashtra, they have had particular and distinctive success with Sangiovese,
now the major ingredient in their flagship red Sette and it is even responsible
for a surprisingly impressive white wine. Wines are made by Piero Masi, whose
main job is at Isola e Olena in Chianti Classico. UK importer is Hallgarten
Druitt & Novum, whose Steve Daniel has helped to make some of these blends.
Entry-level wine available in the UK, blended with
Steve Daniel to sell at about £7. Contains 15% Sauvignon Blanc.
Broad, honeyed nose. Very fresh and bone dry. Sauvignon Blanc rather gets in
the way of Chenin Blanc character but it’s certainly a very refreshing drink.
12.5%
100% Chenin Blanc, free run. No acidification. Steve
Daniel helped with the blend.
Very dry and racy. Very correct though I think it’s brave to be done dry.
13.5%
Drink
2016-2018
£7 RRP15.5
Inspired by an example from San Gimignano and the
popularity of Fratelli Sangiovese with Indians. The colour is removed by adding
charcoal to tank. It's good marketing too because their Sangiovese is getting
so much attention in India. 2,000 cases a year.
I thought it was a gimmick but I liked it. Good body and great balance.
Lightly salty but very refreshing for a hot climate. Lower acid than Cabernet
Sauvignon, but very good with food.
13.5%
Grassy nose. More
Sancerre than anything but a few fermentation aromas. Dry and zesty but not
that much fruit character.
50% Chenin Blanc, 30% Gewurztraminer, 20%
Müller-Thurgau. Also sells in Japan.
Off dry and very fruity if very slightly filter paddy. Would go well with
Indian food. A little phenolic on the end. Interesting. Should develop well over the
vintages.
13.5%
Their most popular wine. E77 clone of Chardonnay –
very low yield but a distinguishing mark for Fratelli. Picked relatively
early.
Recognisably Chardonnay. Very like a jug Chardonnay from California. Absolutely
fine. Nice texture; not much flavour or persistence. In a global context this
is probably more like a 15…
Drink
2016-2017
800
Rupees15.5
(MS = Piero Masi and Steven Spurrier – they
communicate in French.) 80% Chardonnay, 20% Sauvignon Blanc.
Good balance of body (Chardonnay) and freshness (Sauvignon Blanc). Well
integrated. Well done, Piero and Steven!
13.5%
100% new French oak.
Round and nicely smooth and satiny. Some saltiness. Good energy.
13.5%
Drink 2016-2018
1,150 Rupees16
Not yet released.
Sweet and oaky on the nose. Very embryonic and a bit light on fruit.
93% Sangiovese 'Bianco', 7% Sangiovese Rosso.
Pale strawberry. Tart and a bit fruitless.
15% Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc has higher alcohol.
Sold in the UK. Bottled in November 2016.
Deep crimson. Simple juicy red that’s certainly clean enough but a bit pinched
on the end. Very much blended to a price.
60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Syrah.
Bright crimson. Peppery and juicy somehow on the nose. Light and lively with
good acid balance and proper grown-up, dry red. Skiing wine, I suddenly thought
– which is probably unlikely in India… Clean finish.
13.5%
Bright garnet.
Very true colour! A bit fruitier than the average but the staves are a bit
obvious. They feel staves are necessary because Nashik wines are so oaky. 10%
in barrel. Pretty tart. Not sure about those staves…
100% Sangiovese. Barrel-fermented red. Very trendy!!!
They take the tops off 32 barrels (cheap labour!).
Dark crimson. Rude and raw on the nose. Very different from the other
Sangioveses. Quite high VA. This cask sample tastes positively dangerous!
Very tough initially because they macerated as long as
in Europe. Mostly 60% Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Cabernet Franc and 10%
Merlot. Planted in 2007 – the Sangiovese was not yet ready.
Still blackish crimson. Very obviously Cabernet with some sweetness and a dry
finish. Just mellowing now. Very nice! Slightly tarry finish. Still some bite.
Long. Fully ripe aromas. Why no burnt-rubber stink? Too small a batch perhaps,
very new equipment, or luck.
13.5%
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet
Franc. They used very low sulphur pre and post fermentation because Piero was
used to that.
Mid crimson. Some of the telltale Cabernet Sauvignon burnt-rubber nose. Bit
pinched on the end.
13.5%
70% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Started to
work more cleanly with more sulphur.
Much cleaner and fresher but with the Sangiovese tang. Distinctive. Proper
wine!
13.5%
Exported to UK, Japan and Hong Kong. 70% Sangiovese,
30% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Dark crimson. Mellow and rich but lively and fresh. Real, perceptible
Sangiovese. Fresh and lively and varietal and only slightly pinched and tarry
on end.
13.5%
Drink
2016-2022
1,800
Rupees16.5
60% Sangiovese, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sample from
tank after barrels for 14 months, to be released in September 2017. 14 months
in oak, 60% new – French barriques. 30% made with barrel fermentation.
Very luscious and round. Still a bit round and raw. Falls away a bit on the end
at the moment.
13.5%
GROVER
ZAMPA
The late Kanwal Grover was, with Chateau Indage, the
pioneer of the Indian wine industry. Today the company, the second biggest
after Sula, is run by his son Kapil and granddaughter Karishma with input since
1994 from Michel Rolland's team. Grover in the state of Karnataka merged with
Zampa of Nashik (shown above and once Vallée de Vin - sic) in Maharashtra so
that they are established in two states, which brings considerable tax
advantages. UK importer is Cranbrook but they have particular success in France.
100% Chenin Blanc. Aged on lees for 9-12 months.
Bought-in fruit. Traditional champagne method and all made in house. Dosage 12
g/l.
Fresh with some autolysis on the nose. Good sturdy stuff. Tastes drier than 12
g/l (if they make it too dry, it won’t sell in India). Well done. Not that long
but in an Indian context it’s great!
12.5%
100% Shiraz. Pale orange. Aged on lees for 9-12
months. Dosage 14 g/l.
Not quite the same interesting nose as the white; tad more industrial. Bit
sweet and sour and a tiny bit phenolic. But not too sweet on the finish.
You can have a pretty decent meal for two for 685
Rupees in India. The 2014 won the International Asian trophy DWWA. The 2017 will
be launched very soon – it's just a few months old.
Pale greenish straw. More Sancerre than New Zealand. Creditable nose but
slightly watery, especially on the finish.
Drink
2016-2017
685
Rupees15.5
90% Viognier, 10% Sauvignon Blanc. 40% barrel
fermentation, old and new barrels. Their Blanc was launched with vintage
2012.
Fairly full bodied. Not that recognisably varietal, lightly honeyed, but nice
satin texture. Very light Viognier character but the texture is admirable.
100% Viognier. 40-45% barrel fermentation in new oak.
Named after India’s most famous tennis player.
Very obviously Viognier! Peachy and we’re definitely in the northern Rhône
here. Sweetness from oak. Very slight paint-like aromas. But otherwise, this is
very creditable. Though I’d want to drink it sooner rather than later.
100% Shiraz. Not a saignée (because it would be too
deeply coloured) but a very light pressing. They play with the lees to give
body. Bottled to order. This sample was bottled very recently.
Smells of a slightly syrupy Shiraz. But OK balance on the palate. No excess
residual sugar.
Their biggest seller by volume. 60% Cabernet
Sauvignon. 'Big challenge to get quality increasing every year.' Unoaked. Not
even chips. Sold in September/October, but they can easily run out
beforehand.
Very dark colour. Greenness on the end. Rusty nails on the end. Falls
away.
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Shiraz aged in barrel for
six months (30% new oak) and then a year in bottle.
Blackish crimson. Fairly rich and savoury with perhaps a little bit too much
oak for some palates but it has a lot more grunt than the Art Collection red.
Decent stuff that’s ripe enough. Though the finish is disappointing.
Roughly half and half of their ripest Cabernet and
Shiraz with a tiny percentage of Viognier.
Blackish crimson. Salty and lively. Rather sudden finish. But well done on the
front palate. Oak restrained.
55% Tempranillo and 45% Shiraz planted in 2007/8 from
Maharashtra, co-fermented. 24 months in oak and then bottle aged. Very poor
soil so just 2 t/ha yield on Tempranillo.
Good quality oak on the nose, plus recognisable Tempranillo. Round and dusty
and good combination of fruit and structure. Long. Proper wine! Though thechêne (oak)
itself makes its presence felt.
300 magnums for sale in India only. At 5,000 rupees
per magnum, the most expensive wine on the Indian market. Row selection. 100%
Shiraz. One of their own single vineyards. Barrel fermentation. Double sorting
and no pumpover or plunging. 50 people involved!! Hand bottled.
Clean, sweet, spicy nose though not that obviously varietal. Acid a bit
obvious. But it’s clearly modelled on Rhône not Barossa. Still youthful.
600 magnums. More
tension and nerve than the 2014. Massive acid and tannin but good fruit
concentration too. Hint of black pepper. Much more supple than the 2014. To be
released October 2017.
SOMA
I saw signs for this winery while being driven around Nashik but did not visit.
The wine was chosen by Vinod Pandey, the manager of the Taj Gateway hotel in
Nashik, as one of his local favourites to be served with the first of a series
of truly excellent Indian meals. Champion Canadian sommelier Élyse Lambert was
a bit worried about the residual sugar level but I found it well balanced by
the crispness of the super-clean Chenin.
Clean, very
recognisably varietal and delightfully crisp rather than tart. It has a fair
whack of residual sugar, presumably to satisfy the Indian market, but I have
had many a commercial Vouvray that was worse than this – and the residual sugar
is quite a friend of Indian cuisine. Appley and refreshing.
12%
SULA
To many a visitor to India, and to many an Indian,
Sula is Indian wine and by far the dominant force in Nashik. If Grover is best
known for red, Sula is best known for whites that have refreshed many a
tourist. Founder Rajeev Samant (pictured above with his father and winemaker
Ajoy Shaw), a returnee from California, is a great showman and is unrepentant
about his desire to make commercial wine, and as much of it as possible. He
predicts that, from its admittedly small base, the Indian wine market will double
over the next five years. Advisor has long been Kerry Damskey of Sonoma. UK
importer is Hallgarten Druitt & Novum.
Just 15 cases. 'Chardonnay is ok for sparkling wine
but a bit weak and unproductive for still wine.' Picked at potential alcohol of
10.5%. About half went into used 500-litre barrels, with some bâtonnage. RS 5
g/l.
Very appley nose. Very fine bubbles and light wine. Embryonic.
Mainly Chenin Blanc. Dosage 8-10 g/l.
Quite pungent nose and a little more autolysis than their Chardonnay Brut 2015.
Clean
and simple on the palate.
Dosage 8-10 g/l.
Bit rich and broad. Denser than the regular Brut.
Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chenin. Dosage 14-15 g/l.
Pale strawberry pink. Very fine bead. Bit phenolic and sweet.
First variety they planted. 42,000 cases.
A little sweet with fermentation aromas. Slightly hard and metallic on the end.
Slightly chewy.
13%
Their biggest selling white. Off dry for the market –
RS 15 g/l.
Very good balance. Tastes less concentrated and varietal than the Soma
version.
12%
Ripest grapes with lowest yield from their own
vineyards. 15% in one-year-old French oak. RS 5 g/l.
Zesty and varietal. Reminds me of a good SA Chenin.
13%
Sula is the only Indian Riesling producer. Always
picked early at 19-20 Brix. RS 15 g/l.
Smells correct and lively. Granny Smiths and very refreshing. Still
slightly phenolic but not obviously sweet.
10.5%
RS 15
g/l. Light TDN. Proper, evolved Riesling aromas (diurnal temperature
helps). Crystalline
and so surprising for India!
10.5%
Bit tarty on the
nose. More like perfumed, off-dry white with crispness. Not bad though but a
real challenge because Viognier needs to be picked late.
14%
RS 15 g/l.
Fermentation and ‘super-technical’ aromas and phenolic.
20% whole bunch.
Fresh and lively. Their most fruit-driven red. Bit rusty nail on the end. But
nice fruity nose.
13%
67% Shiraz, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon! India’s most
popular wine, 100,000 cases plus. Over the years they’ve realised that Shiraz
is better than Cab.
That
characteristic red drainy smell again…
13%
American oak but they’ve reduced the new oak to
15%.
Lots of tannin and dry finish. Tastes bone dry. Pinched. Bit
acidic.
Rich and round and
sweet and complete. Fresh enough. Just.
Shiraz with 3-4% Cabernet Franc. All French oak, 20%
new, 12-14 months.
Very sweet and round but slightly sweet and sour.
Dark glowing ruby.
Has softened. Maybe even a bit too sweet and not fresh enough. Quite
tart still.
Almost 10% Shiraz.
Cassis nose rather than the drains smell but very pinched on the palate. Tart.
14%
Has softened and
has attractive liveliness. Still a little tart on the end but not fatally so.
14%
Half bottles. Picked 30-40 days later and trying to
dry the grapes on straw mats for two weeks. RS 100 g/l.
Very good acid-sweetness balance. Bite of dried skins. Good!
13.5%
VALLONNÉE
The Nashik red chosen to follow the Soma Chenin (see above).
This is described as coming from the ‘Kavnai Slopes’
of Nashik. An enterprise run by the ex winemaker of Chateau Indage.
Very deep purple but hollow and tart and with the characteristic ‘drains’ nose
of many a Maharashtra Cabernet Sauvignon. Not that much Cabernet character either.
14.25%
YORK
This family-owned winery is beautifully situated close
to the shores of a dam that is now a lake that looks as it it comes straight
out of a Victorian watercolour of India. Like most of the other wineries
mentioned here, much play is made of the growing potential for wine tourism.
The apparently western name is inspired by the first names of the Gurnani
children. Kailash Gurnani studied at Adelaide and has winemaking mates all over
the world, and a sensible penchant for screwcaps. He struck me as the
best-informed of all the winemakers I met, which is why I was surprised not to
love the wines more.
Mainly 2015. 100% Chenin Blanc. 25% underwent
malolactic fermentation. The aim is prosecco meets champagne. Dosage 9.5
g/l.
Smells a bit sweet and frothy. Tiny bead. Sweet and sour. Doesn’t last in the
mouth. Slight mouthwash effect. But it doesn’t actually have any grave
fault.
100% Shiraz. Some
autolysis and broad and fruity and better balanced than the white. More to
it than the white.
10.5%
Bone dry. Smells
decidedly industrial and the whole is pretty tart with fermentation aromas on
the palate. I suspect this grape needs a bit of residual sugar.
12.8%
Kept on lees for two months unsulphured.
Clean but very light nose. Green and slightly oily but pretty chewy on the end.
Difficult
to spot the fruit. Very hard.
12.9%
100% Zinfandel lightly pressed. RS 5 g/l.
Sweet, rather sticky fruit. Very harshly acidified. Out of
balance.
12.5%
Dindori fruit. Aged with oak staves for five
months.
Straightforward fruit. Drink young! Slight rusty nails end. Falls away but I’d
drink it if I were on holiday.
13.5%
From Sanghvi. Aged in oak for four months or so. Costs
more to make than the Shiraz but sells for the same price.
A little green note on the nose. Pretty tart on the finish. Not
much fun on the end.
13.5%
55% Cabernet, 45% Merlot in oak for six months or so.
'Merlot is tricky.' A bit in Sanghvi and a bit in Dindori.
Nose seems relatively free of greenness but there’s a certain syrupiness on the
palate then a pinched finish.
13.5%
Name from owners’ grandsons. First vintage 2012 was
60% Shiraz. They skipped the 2014 vintage. 90% Cabernet, 10% Shiraz. 13 months
in oak, usually 55% French. Nine months in bottle.
Savoury and fresh and rather intriguing on the nose. Good constitution. Slight
greenness and too young to drink but certainly ambitious.
14.5%
Drink 2019-2023
India gets its own wine guide
6 June 2016 Indian wine writer Magandeep Singh has just published
an update of his Indian wine duty survey and calculator. See here.
27 May 2016 As a counterpoint to all our coverage inspired by the
current International Cool Climate Wine Symposium in Brighton, we offer you a
survey of one of the world's hotter wine regions.
One of the best-attended
tastings I went to recently in London was a presentation of ... Indian wine. I
could hardly believe how many serious winos attended the tasting and launch of
a new book on Indian wine by Hungarian Peter Csizmadia-Honigh, the result
of his having won the 2014 Geoffrey Roberts Award. There were Masters of Wine, consultant winemakers
and wine educators by the dozen, as well as the likes of Jim Budd, Wink 'Jura' Lorch, Nayan Gowda and Michael Schuster.
I asked a few of them why, when there are so many
other, often poorly attended, wine events in London, they took the trouble to
turn up for this early morning event at Vintners' Hall. Many of them said it
was because they knew particularly little about Indian wine. Others knew
Csizmadia-Honigh from his days working for the Institute of Masters of Wine.
Several out-of-towners explained that it was particularly convenient because
the morning after the Real Wine Fair. Michael Schuster explained, 'I tasted a
couple of very passable Indian reds a few years ago, and was intrigued to see
what was happening. Perhaps the colonial in me (Kenya born and bred) was an
additional spur.' Wink said she came for the very practical reason that she
liked to support fellow self-publishers.
Peter Csizmadia-Honigh,
pictured above with vineyard workers near Bijapur in northern Karnatka, was
moved to write and publish, competently and exhaustively, The Wines of India to fill a gap. Although there
are about 50 wineries in India today, there was no single-volume reference work
about them. And the Geoffrey Roberts bursary made it all - 452 pages, 11
original maps and many a beautiful photograph by Gábor Nagy - possible.
He set off on a 2,000-km journey around Indian wine
country at the end of 2014 - not without difficulty since responses to his
initial emails to wineries were negligible. 'Perhaps my Hungarian surname put
them off', he observed.
Taxes on imported wines are extremely high in India
and there are many and various controls on selling wine in individual states.
This, along with increased prosperity, has been a spur to the domestic wine
industry – although apparently pomegranates are a more valuable crop.
Indian vine growers can
theoretically have three harvests a year but most try to harvest only once,
employing the tricks required for tropical viticulture. More common are two different prunings each year:
one in April or May before the monsoon and another before the beginning of the
growing cycle in August or September. Apparently, harvest dates vary
considerably according to the region and the timing of annual rainfall there. Efforts
are made to avoid fungal-disease pressure on the vines after pruning.
Peter reported that there is no shortage of foreign
consultants working in the Indian wine business, from France, Italy and outside
Europe; French and Italian grape varieties dominate. One expects French
varieties to play an important part in any new wine-producing country but the
Italian influence in the promising Fratelli winery has encouraged planting of
Italian varieties such as Sangiovese. Reveilo Wines produce Grillo and Nero
d'Avola.
Peter urged us to 'forget'
the V labrusca hybrids Bangalore Blue and Bangalore
Purple for serious wine production, 'but Indian producers need volume', he
explained, adding that wines made from them 'may serve to convert Indian
drinkers from whisky'. The wines he described as 'sub entry level' may be
'technically ok but too sweet for us to consider drinking them'. Some, such as
the famous Goan 'port' are fortified. (The ex-Portuguese colony of Goa has a
few wineries but no vineyards - and no drinkable wine other than Big Banyan,
according the author of The Wines of India.) I
saw on the back label of one wine the legend, 'Wine manufactured from grapes
grown in the state of Maharashtra and without admixing spirit/alcohol.'
The total area of vines in India is still only about
2,500 ha (6,200 acres), so the industry is distinctly nascent - and some
regions have only one producer. The two principal regions for wine production
are Nashik in the state of Maharashtra (with about 35 producers and a useful 16
ºC diurnal temperature variation) and Bangalore in Karnatka (with less diurnal
temperature variation but cooler overall). Temperatures rise as harvest approaches
and the vintners' drive is to reach phenolic ripeness before sugars are so high
that fermentation to dryness could be compromised. Below is a vista of Vallonné
Vineyards in the Igatpuri subregion of Nashik in Maharashtra, the state that,
in 2001, evolved a particularly wine-friendly policy. There were subsidies
available that, according to Peter, in some cases went to the unworthy and
unskilled.
Sula, established in Nashik by
a returnee from California, is the biggest producer, filling 10 millon bottles
a year now from 50,000 when it started in 2000. At one early stage, I was told,
Sula imported wine in bulk and blended it with Indian wine, but this no longer
makes commercial sense with the current high level of taxes on imported wines.
But Sula has to be the most active wine company in India. It imports a
portfolio of fine wines and spirits, has styled its winery as a major tourist
destination with hotel and 'farm to fork restaurant', and is now a wine
education provider for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. See more
via their website. Below is Sula's chief winemaker Ajoy Shaw, a Master
of Wine student.
If Sula is particularly associated with crisp, modern
whites, the older company established by the Grover family is more of a red
wine producer and has long had the benefit of Michel Rolland of Pomerol as
consultant. (He had just had his first overture from the Grovers when we filmed
him for our BBC2 series in 1994.) Chateau Indage, an outfit that used to make
sparkling wine, was felled by an over-ambitious international expansion plan.
Some investment funds have invested in the Indian wine
business. Some of the newer boutique wineries have been established and funded
by some of India's richer families.
Soul Tree is an interesting business, crowd funded to
the tune of £350,000. It owns neither vineyards nor winery but is making wines
specifically for Indian restaurants in the UK and other export markets.
The spirits multinational Diageo at one stage had an
Indian wine brand and, having acquired United Spirits, it is now owner of Four
Seasons in Roti near Pune in southern Maharashtra.
Although the overall quality level of Indian wine is
increasing, I thought it was still relatively low, with some wines exhibiting a
sort of ashy character associated with water stress, and others simply lacking
much fruit concentration. The most impressive producer for me was Myra.
The 30 wines described below, all shown at the book
launch in April, are grouped by state then alphabetically by producer, with
whites before reds.
MAHARASHTRA
FRATELLI WINES
UK importer
Hallgarten Druitt & Novum
100% Chenin Blanc. Four months in barrel, seven months
on lees pre-disgorgement.
Creditable texture and balance with some definite Chenin character. I would
probably swoon over this in India…
12.5%
White wine from
Sangiovese. Very technical. But well put together. Not sure I can see any
Sangiovese character. I have better memories of their still Chenin Blanc.
Slightly off towards the end.
Sangiovese, Cabernet Savignon, Cabernet Franc.
Quite respectably ripe with some oak still in evidence. Falls off towards the
end and a little pinched but not bad.
14%
MANDALA WINE
BRANDS
UK importer
mandalawine@gmail.com
Slightly metallic
nose in which Sauvignon Blanc character can (just) be discerned. Very light on
fruit but it's not dirty - just a little pinched on the end.
Blackish crimson.
Rather dank on the nose. Sweet start but not much fruit weight. Astringent
finish.
Mid crimson.
Slightly rank nose. Light and sweet. Tart finish.
SOUL TREE
Soul Tree Wine
TA 6.8 g/l, RS 3.7 g/l. Screwcapped - the whole range.
Lots of guff about matching Indian spices.
Some varietal
character and good grip on the palate. Honey and acidity. Well
done!
13.5%
TA 7.1 g/l. RS 3 g/l.
Light and fresh. Green and zesty though without much fruit concentration.
13%
TA 6.1
g/l, RS 1.8 g/l. Zinfandel.
Pale rose colour. Something a
little spicy about this actually! Good bone-dry end so no hiding behind sugar.
The wine is made at Oakwood winery in Naslik by ex-Ch Indage winemaker. Clean
and fresh.
13%
TA 6.1 g/l, RS 2.4 g/l.
Dark crimson. Berry smell and then quite a bit of tannin. Staightforward.
14%
TA 5.2 g/l, RS 1.8 g/l.
Very light nose and innocuous.
14%
TA 5.2 g/l, RS 1.8 g/l. Barrel aged for 12 months.
Pale ruby. Quite
mellow on the nose but a bit thin and tart on the palate. I think it may always
be a bit hollow.
14%
Quite savoury
nose. Tastes bone dry and mild. Lacks freshness.
SULA VINEYARDS
UK importer
Hallgarten Druitt & Novum and also in M&S as Jewel of Nasik
TA 6.9 g/l, RS 1.6 g/l.
Extremely faint Sauvignon Blanc character on the nose but convicing enough in a
greenery way on the palate. Tastes dry overall.
13%
TA 6.6 g/l, RS 6.5 g/l.
Definitely a hint of Viognier on the nose. Off dry and well balanced. More
Languedoc than Condrieu but perfectly acceptable.
14%
TA 6.7 g/l, RS 0.5 g/l. 90% Shiraz aged in American
oak, with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French oak.
Mid crimson. Oak
seems a little dirty. Astringent end. Pretty light fruit.
13.5%
YORK
WINERY
Neutral nose. Wet.
No faults but not much flavour.
13.1%
TA 7.35
g/l, RS 7.3 g/l. Zinfandel.
Saignée rosé colour. Clean,
fresh and fruity. Off dry. I'd be very happy with this in India!
13.1%
TA 6.2 g/l, RS 3 g/l. 60% Shiraz, 40% Cabernet
Sauvignon. 13 months in barrel, predominantly French, with 25% new oak, the
rest second and third fill. 5,319 bottles produced.
Dark crimson. Swet fruit and just about clean and fully ripe. Classic cassis
nose.
14.3%
KARNATAKA
GROVER ZAMPA
UK importer
dimple.athavia@groverzampa.in
90% Viognier, 10% Sauvignon Blanc.
Definitely smells of Vognier! This is a new wine for them. A bit soft. Floral.
Needs a bit more acidity.
14%
TA 5 g/l, RS 2 g/l. Shiraz. Rosé with Michel Rolland's
name prominently on the label.
Slightly sweaty
nose. Easy peasy with some sweetness and not quite enough acidity.
13.5%
TA 5.6 g/l, RS 2 g/l. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20%
Shiraz.
Healthy crimson. Slightly rank nose. Light and fruity and frank with good
fruit/acid balance on the palate. Simple but pleasing enough.
14%
TA 6.2 g/l, RS <2 g/l. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32%
Shiraz, 3% Viognier. Matured for 12 months in French oak.
Very posh bottle!
Sweet oak on the nose - not much intensity. Acceptable but a bit thin -
especially since I assume it is pretty expensive.
14%
KRSMA
ESTATES
UK importer vishal@krsmawineries.com
RS 2 g/l. 100% oak. Naughty heavy bottle and very
fancy packaging.
Dark crimson.
Simple cassis nose. Restrained (sweet) oak influence. Rather pinched on the
end.
13.3%
RS 2 g/l. 12 months in barrel, predominantly French
oak. Naughty heavy bottle.
Very dark crimson.
Mellow sweet oak on the nose. Very recognisably Cabernet on the nose. Have had
worse red bordeaux than this! Quite a lot to get your teeth into though the
tannins are still a little fierce.
13.5%
MYRA VINEYARDS
UK importer
Premia Wines
Definite Sauvignon
Blanc character - more Loire than Marlborough. Very fresh and clean - good
balance and dry finish with enough fruit but not really that much
flavour.
13%
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz. Very good labelling.
Family-owned boutique winery.
Mid crimson.
Well-melded nose without either variety dominant. Gentle – lighter than the
bottle looks but a comfortable drink already.
14%
REVEILO
WINES
Light nose and
rather watery on the palate. Not that refreshing and I can't really see any
varietal character. Wet.
13%
Pale crimson.
Slightly rank fruit. Light weight. Sweet start - varietal! Lightly
astringent.
13%
12 months in French oak.
Dirty oak on the nose. Thin and tart on the palate. No!
14%
