|
 Labelled as xxxxxxx (the label was disclosed to me on the condition of confidentiality), the small production- barely 4 barrels from the original 10 barrels that made the first cut, it is a Shiraz-based single vineyard wine from a small parcel. Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO of Grover Zampa said the label was under preparation, the brand name had been registered but he would not like to divulge the complete information as the launch was still 6 months away. He confirmed however, that it would be sold only in magnums, around 300 of which would be available for sale. At Rs. 5,000 a magnum, it would become the most expensive Indian wine bottle. ‘The price may seem a bit high but compare with the imported wines in this category and you will appreciate that the price is not high,’ he says.
While conceding that Karnataka is blessed with fabulous terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon but Shiraz has to be ‘managed’, unlike in the Nashik belt where it is exactly the reverse, Karishma Grover, Assistant Wine maker says they had been getting excellent quality Shiraz grapes from a single vineyard which they had been using in the Cabernet-Shiraz blend for the La Reserve, and decided to launch the new wine. The maiden 2014 had been fermented and aged in French new oak barriques and has just been bottled in magnums to be released around Diwali.
 I met Mathias Pellisard, a French winemaker who has been working with them for years and also consults in China, at The Great Grover Wine Festival in Bangalore last Saturday. He was super excited about the wine. ‘It is made from grapes from a few rows in one parcel. We picked the grapes that were full in aromatics and made sure they were fully ripe with brown seeds. These were small berry grapes with very low yields of 1.5 tons per acre and cultivated on vines over 15 years old. Hand harvested grapes were double-sorted,’ he says.
Mathias adds that it was his idea to come up with this wine because working with these grapes for La Reserve, he realised there was a great potential for higher quality for some of these grapes. ‘I wanted to show the owners that a lot could be done to make really high quality wines. I think the amount of work that has gone into this wine, cannot be recovered at the price being considered for sale but the purpose was not to make profits but realise the full potential of our grapes and winemaking and to make age-worthy wines; this wine is expected to have a life of 10 years,' says Mathias who is now really excited to try something similar with Cabernet Sauvignon as well.
‘Totally new French oak barriques were used for fermentation, malo-lactic and ageing, ‘says Karishma, adding ‘we have done no filtration with punched down only once a week. Total process starting from the harvest to the bottle has been manual.’
From the taste of it, Grover xxxxxxx Shiraz 2014 is laying in bottles to showcase the Indian wine quality at a new high.
Sparkling wine production in Bangalore
 In the meantime the equipment to bottle sparkling wines being produced only in Nashik has arrived at the Bangalore winery and is under installation. ‘The wines have been on the lees. The moment the new equipment is installed, we shall start with disgorging and bottling. We expect the wines to be available in March,’ says Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO of GroverZ. The local production would mean easier availability for the growing market in Karnataka and would save the company Rs. 225 a bottle-being the ‘import duty’ (all wines entering from outside are charged an import tax of Rs. 300/bulk liter irrespective of whether they are from Nashik or Napa).
Sparkling wine has been a high-growth segment during the last few years with Chandon entering the market in 2013 and the competition to grab the share has been increasing since. Due to the relatively small production and market of Soiree-Brut and Rose Brut sparkling wine and their super premium wine Chene, these wines are imported into Karnataka from the Nashik winery. ‘We have been selling around 1000 cases in Karnataka but after the local production is available we will have the capacity of 5,000 cases. We will be able to sell the entire production in Karnataka where there has been a lot of latent demand.'
 La Reserve goes Mod
La Reserve red wine has been an ‘upwardly mobile’ product from GroverZ. A product of high and generally consistent quality, it has been steadily going up the ladder in quality as well as price. The new packaged version was launched with a modern look at The Great Grover Wine Festival. Priced at Rs. 1000 a bottle, it used to be sold for Rs. 440 in Delhi till about 6-7 years ago. Thus it has clocked the most impressive price increase of all the Indian wines ever. ‘La Reserve has been really underpriced in the market and with the brand recognition it has received in the domestic and international market, we feel the time is ripe for proper positioning and getting the price that it deserves,’ says Sumedh Singh Mandla with a smile on his face.
It appears that Grover Zampa Vineyards is forging ahead in terms of quality, offerings and competitiveness though it is still a laggard in wine tourism. Mandla concedes that they have been slower in this area because of financial constraints but hopes to push it in small steps though they already have lofty plans on paper.
Subhash Arora |