Why we should be optimistic about Nashik

Indian wines generally leave plenty to be desired. But a visit to Nashik, the hub of the country’s wine industry, convinces me that there is plenty to be hopeful about. The vineyards in this region are impossible to miss in the valleys, which, in this dry season, are ringed by dun-coloured hills. Table grapes are the mainstay, but there are plenty of wine varieties that farmers, some with small holdings, grow on contract.

The wine industry in Maharashtra is essential to be growing at over 30 percent annually and accounts for about 97 percent of country’s wine produce; of the state’s 58 wineries, 30 are from Nashik.

But the optimism doesn’t stem so much from such attractive numbers as the attitude of some of the wine makers. I visited four wineries-sula, chateau D’Ori, Vintage, and York-a mix that represents the established, the innovative and the new. The three-day trip has provided too much fodder for a column of this size.so,this one is limited to a brief and a very general case for why we should be cheery and positive about the future of nashik and the Indian Wine industry.

Attitude: It is a truism that a passion for wine and an appreciation that wine-making is a scientific process are prerequisites. the men I met and spoke had both.Ranjith Dhuru of chateau D’Ori runs a Rs.400 crore IT business and developed his passion after being exposed to wine at numerous business dinners;today,I suspect he is far more happy talking about wine and his winery at Dindori rather than his core business. Vintage’s Yatin patil, who makes wines under the Reveilo brand, has gradually planted more and more wine grapes in his vineyard, an ancestral property that grew table grapes, and acquired a winery that boasts of machinery entirely imported from Italy.

Good practice: There is a real effort to improve viticulture and wine-making practices-be in the pruning, the sorting or the methods employed in the winery before the liquid is bottled. It is good to see that the endeavour is directed at producing decent wine rather than just maximizing profits.

Red and white: Indian whites are generally far better than Indian reds-the latter often suffer from a green vegetative character.sula, which has been around for a decade and makes what is possibly the most reliable range of wines, is far better for its whites. But even here, they are on the verge of releasing a new red – a kind of oaked Super Dindori made only of Shiraz. I was given the taste from the barrel- nice, plumy and agreeably fruit forward.Interestingly, the other three wineries are much better for the reds. I was pleasantly surprised by the Shiraz and cabernet-again sipped from the barrel-lying in the cellar of York. The company has not started selling its wines yet, but do watch out for these. As for the impressive chateau D’Ori Winery, the Cabernet-Merlot easily tops the list of their reds and Reveilo’s 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon-which, a vertical tasting revealed is much more mellow, mature and agreeable than its somewhat over-fruity successors-is a fine product.
New Varietals: Everyone seems to be experimenting with new varietals and the range of Indian wine is set to expand exponentially in the future.

Wine tourism: Wine tourism has grown into a huge industry and Nashik has cottoned on to the possibility that it may even become a big wine destination.Sula already has it all-wine tours, grape stomping, an Italian restaurant, a beautifully designed tasting room and a balcony that overlooks the vineyards, and a boutique bungalow with three rooms and a stunning view of the mountains. Others have begun to see the potential of what could provide revenue as well as expand customer base.

All in all, the visit to Nashik persuades me that things can get only better from here.

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What Indians drink

What do Indians like to drink? It seemed at first like a simple enough question when someone asked it the other day. But do we really know?

The problem is not merely that we don’t have anything remotely close to a proper survey on Indian wine drinking habits. Also, the wine produced in Indians is not diverse enough to throw much light on consumer preferences. Yes, domestic production accounts for a little over 6 lakh cases, something like 75 per cent of the total wine consumed in the country. But despite the increase in the number of varietals, the consumer is pretty starved of choice when drinking wine produced in India. Red wines is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz or a blend of the two. Most whites in the market are either Cheney or Sauvignon Blanc.

Yes, Voigner, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and other varietals are growing in the country, but it is the Big Four that seem to find a way into most bottles. When it comes to domestic wine, people largely drink what is available rather than what they want to.

Perhaps, the pattern of imports may throw up some clues? (Imported wine accounts for some 2 lakh cases of which an estimated 1.6 lakh cases are bought in retail stores or ordered in restaurants. The remainder is sourced from duty free shops or consumed on international flights.)

I asked Aman Dhall, Executive Director of Brindco, the question during his visit to Chennai, where he generously showcased a splendidly diverse and rich range of mid and high-end wines at the launch of Terroir, the Madras Wine Club, at the Taj coromandle hotel. His company is not just India’s largest importer; one out of every two bottles that make its way into the country is a Brindco.

His answers went something like this:

There is a preference for reds over whites. Sixty five per cent of the wine he imports are reds.

Younger people consume a lot of wine. Over 50 per cent are within the 25 to 35 age bracket and possibly another 25 per cent between 35 and 45.

In retail sales, there is a marked preference for new world wines-from countries such as Australia, Chile and South Africa. It’s possible that consumers see better value in them.

The picture is somewhat different in restaurants. Old world wines sell as much as new world ones.

Preference in varietals is hard to gauge. Though among reds, Cabs, Shirazes and Merlots do well.

There is a small but distinct move to experiment with some evidence of a growing preference for Riojas from Spain and Malabecs from Argentina.

Of course, even these broad generalizations need to be qualified. States such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh do not sell imported wine in retail stores, so it’s hard to say what people prefer here. In Karnataka, the flat state duty of Rs.225 a bottle imposed in late 2007 (in addition to the central tax of 150 per cent) has probably skewed preferences in favour of mid and high-end wines. Why buy imported plonk if you are paying more in tax than for the product? In Maharashtra, the sudden and thoughtless hike in state taxes has dampened the consumption of foreign wines beyond imagination.

The answer is that we don’t really know –beyond some broad hints at least- about what Indians really like to drink. This may seem like a very longwinded way of professing ignorance. In my defence I can only cite my Philosophy professor, who would insist- that in the absence of conclusive answers- the challenge is to ask the right questions.

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