By naming his wines as Big Banyan wines, Paul John, the owner of Chateau de Banyan in Bangalore has pre-empted any possible future move by the iconic Amitabh Bacchan , should he choose to lend his celebrity status for bringing out cult wines and label them Big B wines. After today, Big Banyan wines could become popularly known as Big B wines, speculates Subhash Arora, President of Indian Wine Academy, after several tasting sessions in Kumarakom with the owner.

Several overseas producers share with me their enthusiasm to enter the Indian wine market. I often advise to think not only the export of their bottled wine but they should also consider some kind of partnership, JV, technological tie-up, investments or even reciprocal marketing arrangements with the Indian wine compnies. This may prove even more lucrative in the long run.

Chateau de Banyan, a Bangalore based wine producer with winery in Goa is one example of such collaboration between Indian and Italian organisation. Owned by a distillery owner, Paul John, the nascent wine project has a technical collaboration with University of Milan whose consultant winemaker Lucio Matricardi has been directly advising de Banyan on various practical aspects of wines and vines.

The project was conceptualised about four years ago by Paul John, the Florida based NRI entrepreneur from Kottayam District in Kerala, who sold 7 million cases of 'Original Choice' liquor and exported $4million worth of furnishings from India last year. His Big Banyan wines, five varietals of them, were introduced in Goa last month. Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh are next on his distribution radar, with 18 states targeted within the next one year.

Why Goa when he is from Kerala and living in Bangalore, running the premium Kumarakom Lake Resort in Kottayam district in the backwaters of Kochi and exporting fabrics to the US with interest in real estate ventures.?

' During my stay in the US, I started enjoying wines. I am also in the hospitality business. Food is an important aspect of our service. It is natural for me to get into wnes in some form or the other. Being from Bangalore, I had started buying vineyard land in Ramanagaram, 30 kms South of Bangalore, with the intention of setting up vineyards in the region. Though the experimental crops have been growing, I don't think we will be ready to harvest our own grapes for the next few years. So I decided to set up a winery in Goa, next to our distillery.'

What about growing grapes 'We decided to buy grapes from farmers in the Nashik belt and Sangli area,' says John. This is where the Italian technology came handy through the collaboration with University of Milan. ' A full team assigned to study the viticulture conditions and personal visits by the master winemaker Lucio Matricardi to the vineyards to check the conditions of the grapes helped us negotiate the rates with the farmers'.

'How did they manage purchasing of grapes from farmers?' I asked. 'Well, we had our hiccups. Some farmers sold the grapes to other buyers, when we told them that the berries were not yet fully ripe and needed to be on the vines for a few days more, according to Lucio's advice. Luckily, we had also negotiated with a few wineries for bulk wine which we picked up of our choice and specs approved buy Lucio though at higher than fair prices.'

Range of wines: Big banyan has brought a range of five varietals. The whites are staple Nashik liquid - Chenin and Sauvignon Blancs. Reds include a medium body Zinfandel, Shiraz and a full body Cabernet. (White Zinfandel is referred to as the pink wine, blush or even Rosé).

Bulk wines were stored separately in the tanks. The grapes crushed in Goa were fermented in their own winery. Before bottling, the two were blended, after tastings.

Lucio Matricardi has been a master craftsman. In the maiden attempt he has been able to produce wines form bulk and grapes bought from many sources.

Sauvignon Blanc has been a very successful attempt. Dry, fruity and clean wine. It has the typical citrus flavours and a wonderful mouthfeel. It is vivacious and lively on the tongue. As he rightly explains it, ít does not have the Dolomites peaks but several peaks though at lower levels. One can find citrus, grassy, slightly vegetal notes. It is extremely easy on the palate. The fresh acidity makes the second glass very welcome… and yet another.

I wish I could say the same about the Chenin Blanc. Although I would compliment them for getting rid of the tonnes of sugar other producers offer in their wines (supposedly to entice the novice consumer who prefers sweet wine and recognises it as the fruitiness of the wine) . Although the wine was very clean, it has a strong bitter taste on the mid palate as also at the end. It is not like bitter almond but more like the taste of stems getting crushed with the fruit.

Zinfandel: Quite a charmer, this quaffable wine. Multi-dimensional aromas explode in your nose. Yet it has not transcended into the next higher level where the ageing might make it a great wine to store. A couple of glasses are quite pleasant.

Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon - the winners:

Though the two have not been married to each other yet, both have individually, an excellent flavour and are the clear winners. It might be Sophie's choice to pick better of the two, but at gun point I would rate Cabernet higher-partially because we do not yet have a decent Cab in the Indian wine portfolio that one can drink regularly.

Shiraz is spicy enough-black pepper is predominant. So are the dark berry flavours. The colour is deep dark red and attractive, Tannins are soft and juicy making it quaffable with or without food. Even vegetarians would find it delicious with their meal.

Shiraz could be consumed with chicken whereas the Cabernet was enjoyable the most with lamb. It had soft tannins, much softer than would be expected in a 2007. That is why I feel that it is good for 1-2 years of aging. But Lucio felt that it can age very well for the next 3-4 years. I feel the fruit would be lost. But I suppose Lucio knows better.

A total of under 12000 cases have been produced of the five varietals.

Why the name Chateau de Banyan?

'I own some land next to the famous Big Banyan Tree in Bangalore. I planned to start with my operations there, so I found the name relevant and attractive,' says Paul. The name is rather pompous for an Indian producer, especially after going the Italian way for oenological and viticulturist help. Azienda Agricola, Podere, Feudi or any such Italian complex name might at least have given away the linkage. A simple name like Big Banyan Wines would have accentuated a powerful style

Labels: The Bordeaux shaped bottles have attractive labels pasted on them. I could not figure out why they mention '23 proof' on the 13.5% alcohol wines? Is it due to excise laws? 'Proof' smells of hard liquor with a negative connotation to a wine lover.

Similarly, by labelling the wines as White Wine and Red Wine on the bottle, the producers presume that the consumer cannot tell the contents of the bottle from the colour and needs the help of the label. Indian wine drinker has surely gone beyond that stage! In any case, it is reminiscent of a cheap table wine.

Vintage: The label does not mention the vintage anywhere. Again, it is surprising because generally the international trend is to mention the vintage, even if it might help the consumer in India to decide when to finish the bottle at the latest?

Closures: The closures are synthetic cork, which is unusual for the Indian industry which is shifting gradually towards stelvins for the white wines and sticking it out with natural corks for the reds.

Prices: Priced in the band of Rs.475-500, the wines do look a bit on the higher side. They are at the level of Sula and Grover, the established players or even more expensive. Especially when the imported wines are going to be cheaper, perhaps falling in this range, it is going to make pricing a very sensitive issue.

But this does not perturb Paul. 'My dictum to Lucio has been to give me the best wine possible under today's scenario. I can handle the price.' Paul must know what he is talking about. He owns the Kumarakom Lake Resort in Kumarakom, Kottayam District in Kerala. He located this backwater tranquil spot in 2000 when Taj was well entrenched in the region. 'We are number one today charging more than the Taj because we offer the best of facilities to our clients,' says a beaming Paul. He is sure that the same philosophy can be used in marketing his wines.

Future Plans

Although Paul has managed to buy several acres of vineyard land and claims to have grown some vines already, his confidence of making wines in Karnataka has been shaken up because of the incomprehensible policies of the government, especially Maharashtra. "If I produce wines in Karnataka and want to sell them in Maharashtra, the biggest market, I cannot compete due to heavy duties imposed on me. Till the dust settles down, I will focus on making quality wines by using modern technology and wine making techniques with the help of our Italian friends, do the brand building and then decide where to set up the vineyards or perhaps even buy them. 'I foresee them going much cheaper the way the capacity is being overbuilt without proper quality or marketing

In the interest of the Indian wine consumer, one hopes Paul John succeeds in his mission.