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 Sudden rain at a venue planned outside might get hearts palpitating for some hotels but not JW Marriot where the team under the watchful eyes of their GM-Antony Page and Ankur Chawla as their beverage Director, is used to such exigencies. Shifted to a banquet hall due to the unexpected rain, the event to ‘Launch’ La Reserve wines from Grover Zampa turned out to be a nice get-together without much pretences but lots of delicious and varied food that went way beyond the barbeque expected, along with the two protagonist wines. It was a good networking opportunity for their CEO Sumedh Singh Mandla who had specially come for the event from Mumbai, and those who had gathered.
Several years ago- perhaps in 2004 or 2005, I was having lunch at the Delhi Golf Club with Rajeev Samant, founder CEO of Sula. This was when they were still making (note I didn’t say ‘producing’) their red Satori from imported bulk wine from Chile since their red grapes were still not available. A club member passed by as we were nursing our wine in the Bar and wanted to know which the best Indian red wine was. An awkward moment because I didn’t want to say La Reserve with Rajeev as my guest but the member would not budge because he was the cheaper selling Satori fan. So I tried to shoo him away by saying both are good and it was a matter of perfect choice.
Rajeev saw me cringe in my seat but we had a big laugh after the gentlemen left. I had publicly pronounced La Reserve as the best red wine in India (Indage used to have red wines too then) earlier and was not going to change my opinion just because the owner of another winery was my guest. La Reserve has been their work-horse, signature wine and flagship wine (whatever you may call it) for 18 years. It used to sell at Rs. 440 a bottle until Brindco joined hands with Grover and increased the price to Rs. 540 (in Delhi), making a couple of other wines contend for the best value-for-money wine which I feel it was, even at that price point.
No wine label has enjoyed as much price increase as La Reserve red which went on to sell at around Rs. 800, Meanwhile, in 2005 Steven Spurrier, the well-known journalist tasted a few wines from the New World in Germany and declared it the Best Red Wine in the New World. I could never figure out how he could say that with confidence because he had tasted only a few wines for Decanter. But it did validate my impression and perception of years that this was the best red wine in India. Today, people may not know it is a wine from Grover Zampa but it’s the label La Reserve that makes it their favourite red wine.
A blend of about 80% Cabernet Sauvignon (ostensibly Karnataka soil makes better Cabs) and Shiraz ( from their best parcel- a small patch), La Reserve was released first in 1998. They had produced a small quantity in 1997 which was left in the cellar and never released. At a Delhi Wine Club wine dinner many years later when Kapil Grover was also present, he was magnanimous enough to send a few bottles of 1997 which were served to the appreciating members and the Chief Guest Adam Strum, owner of Wine Enthusiast. Strum was quite impressed though a few bottles turned out corked or oxidized as they were experimental bottles lying unattended for almost 8-9 years.
La Reserve has never looked back and it appears that their consultant Michel Rolland put a lot of efforts in terms of processing and blending with 6 months of French-oak (what else?!) barrels . The bottle now carries a very visible ‘made in collaboration with Michel Rolland’ stamp perhaps as a branding exercise; it used to be present earlier but in a rather timid fashion.
In the meanwhile, Viognier-Clairette white was introduced by Grover, infusing life into the insipid Blanc de Blanc made from the insipid Clairette which had not done too well on their soil for whites except giving the mystical French description. This new white was well received by connoisseurs and GroverZ (Grover Zampa Vineyards by now, after the merger), decided to introduce the La Reserve Blanc in 2014 by fermenting Viognier in barrels and blending with 10% Sauvignon Blanc- making it a serious white wine for food.
Both wines were of good premium quality and well received by consumers, costing around Rs.800.
Old wine in a new bottle
GroverZ decided earlier this year to revamp the label and re-introduce and re-launch both the labels in different cities, including Delhi on Wednesday. Not that it has been a surprise for many. A literal and genuine case of old wine in a new bottle-only packaging has been made contemporary and reeks of ‘Premium’. Wine is the same- improving slightly every year as the vines get older, with better hygiene and newer barrels. The new label also has a new tag- the price has been increased to around Rs. 1000 pan India.
 There was a preview of the wines at the Great Grover Festival on February 6 and reported in delWine . Disclosing this at the tasting Sumedh Singh Mandla had said with a smile on his face, ‘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,’
Priced a couple hundred rupees lesser than their iconic international Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection, the company seems to bank on the branding of the wine and improve the bottom line-despite the cost of re-launch of the two variants. Based on the response, once the shock factor of the price increase wears away, the sales will get back to their growth trajectory, if not already; and regain their value-for-money status and the corresponding increase in the market share within the premium range of Indian wines- provided the quality is at least maintained.
Winning 12 medals out of 57 in the last 3 years, Grover La Reserve duo has proven its international acceptance of good quality on the foreign soils. The upward journey of quality and price continues. Perhaps the time is right for proper positioning and as Sumedh Singh Mandla says, it should get the price it deserves.
Subhash Arora |