The International element in the Indian wine industry – Palate Press

anisha sharma — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:04:00 GMT

Although not as lucrative as its Asian counterparts like Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Japan the Indian market has still managed some decent international interest.

Areas: Import, distribution and production

While E&J Gallo have a nine-year joint venture with Indian producer and distributor Radico Khaitan, the global giant Pernod Ricard also enjoys a strong presence in the country, though more as a spirits company.

In wines, Pernod Ricard currently offers the famous Jacob’s Creek, Montana and Nine Hills, an Indian wine. What is an eagerly awaited launch for next year would be the indigenous sparkling wine by Moet et Chandon, for which the company is sourcing grapes from Nashik. Moet Hennessy India presently operates as a subsidiary of the LVMH Moet Hennessy group and is privately held.

Another Indo-European venture called Prestige wines and spirits, aimed at importing premium wines and spirits in India, was formed between a renowned Indian industrialist Gautam Thapar and Miguel Torres of Torres’ wines and John L.S Grant of Glenfaclas.

Nirvana Biosys, a Delhi based company, recently joined hands with the Mauritius based EC Oxenham group which is helping provide their technical expertise in winemaking for the ‘Luca’ line of wines. The venture’s unique selling proposition is wines based on exotic fruits like litchi and mango besides the standbys such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.

Regarding quality, most Indian wines produced so far have been of the table wine quality and have been meant to be drunk young. Of late, there have been some experiments of testing the aging potential. The recent success of a Sula Sauvignon Blanc at the Decanter Wine Awards and two Indian wines being sold at Waitrose in the UK shows the potential of Indian wines in standing up to the competition even if it might take some time.

Winemakers and wineries’ technical knowhow

In addition to foreign ventures and investments, renowned winemakers like Michele Rolland have also been involved for their expertise in the area and helping Indian wines improve on the quality front.

(Kerry Damsky, Frederic Dezauzierf, Thibaut Verdenal, John Worontschak, David Rowe, Andrea Valentinuzzi, Dr. Pascal, Stephen Donnelly, Steven Spurrier, and so many others from the international community have assisted in the process of developing the Indian wine industry.)

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The International element in the Indian wine industry – Palate Press