By Sourish Bhattacharyya

www.groverwines.com

Our Judgment: The web site isn't even half as sexy as Grover's wines. Just another cyber salesman without the passion to educate. It is badly in need of substance and an overhaul.

Grover, wrote the International Herald Tribune, is not only a wine maker but also a wine educator. The educator, though, is missing in action from the official web site of Grover Vineyards. The experience, in fact, may prove to be a trifle disappointing.

The Grovers could have used their cyber presence to educate the world about how French vine varieties stuck root and thrived in the most unlikely spot on this planet. Indeed, they have missed a great opportunity to promote Brand Bangalore.

Imagine the resonance of the expression - wines from India's own Silicon Valley. The Grovers could have given 'Bangalored' an entirely different meaning, but they chose instead to turn their web site into a commercial showcase. The site is in need of an injection of life in the form of insights into vine growing and wine appreciation. Even their media highlights stop at March 2005. One wonders why.

Abhay Kerwadkar, Grover's wine maker and Bangalore Wine Club chief, is an articulate wine educator. It's not difficult for him to churn out informative articles, at least once a week, for thirsty surfers.

For inspiration, the minders of the Grover web site should visit the Robert Mondavi and Cakebread Cellars sites - they give you compelling reasons to return. A winery web site shouldn't be a mere salesman; it should promote the wine culture, too.