Maison Pierre, launched in Gurgaon yesterday, is the latest offering from
Sula Vineyards; a low-priced value- for- money import from France that
may compete with domestic labels and cause ripples in the quaffable wine
market, reports Subhash Arora
At
a recent wedding where there were only the rich and the richer, where
money was no object, where a 300 plus number of women wore jewellery
worth over $20 million, it was no surprise that the house whisky
pour was the staid Black Label.
I was not surprised when I approached the bar and was told
the wine was the best; a French, a Cuvee. It mattered little that it was
a table wine, the lowest end of the totem. I was also not surprised that
the 600 guests sipped through a dozen bottles of red and nineteen of white,
about the amount we usually consume at a wine club dinner for forty.
To all the guests who did not want to suffer the plonk
one can now say, 'Do not despair, Maison Pierre is here.'
Maison Pierre is French
For a start, Maison Pierre- I suspect it will become
popular as MP for the nice parliamentarian ring to its name,
is a French wine. The bold lettering on top of the label is prominently
displayed on the New World-style label. What foxes you the next moment
is the screw cap on both the red and the white wine. Not a Bordeaux or
Burgundy, is it?
It is a Vin du Pays wine from Languedoc region, made in new
world style especially for Sula, by the well known Provence wine maker
Hugh Ryman.
Hugh Ryman
Maison Pierre owes its existence to this interesting
man. The brand is owned by Sula but the man behind making the wine is
a well known producer in the South of France.
Ryman's experience making wine in Provence was the inspiration
for the latest wine film, 'A Good Year', based on Peter Mayle's novel
of the same name, released in October, 2006. The film, starring Russell
Crowe, tells the story of a young city banker who moves from England to
Provence, where his uncle has willed him a winery. He ends up upgrading
the winery, making plonk into a successful wine business.
In real life, events might have been quite different.
But the 46 year old Bordeaux University qualified winemaker did shift
from England to France when he was 13. He has worked with Château
Pétrus, Château Yquem, and Louis Latour and has spent a year
in Australia. Living in Bordeaux, he spends as much time as is possible
at the vineyards and with several of his other clients.
He is also a consultant winemaker and has been working in 16
countries including Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Italy, Turkey,
Romania, Moldova, California Italy, Morocco, Germany, Hungary and several
wineries in France.
Sula Vineyard
By tying up with Hugh Ryman, Rajeev Samant of Sula may
be able to fill in a gap in the market with his usual dexterity. With
the high import duties, there has been a gap in the prices at which the
imported wines start to sell. Most of the decent imported wines are sold
upwards of Rs.750 outside Maharashtra while the Indian wines sell at Rs.450-550.
MP hopes to enter an uncharted territory by
offering a quaffable French wine at Rs. 550. As a banquet wine, party
wine, house wine and French wine at the price of Indian wine, Maison
Pierre will have a sizeable market to conquer. It currently has
two offerings, one in red and white each.
Maison Pierre has already been introduced recently in Maharashtra.
At Rs.610 in Mumbai, it is a better value even with respect to
the competition.
The BIO label
By bringing Maison Pierre, Sula has not necessarily
been a trend setter. The trend has already been set by Brindco who has
been bringing in their own label 'Golden Mile' from supposedly their own
winery in Australia. Priced at Rs.500-600, it has been doing very well
in retail and a few on-trade outlets.
Chateau d'Ori has been importing wines from Bordeaux
under the Bellevie label for over 3 years. Amit Burman- owned Nature's
Bounty has also been importing and marketing 4 variants of its own label
Casuarina Creek at around Rs. 800. Recently Vinner Vineyards has started
importing Italian wines under Opera label owned by the company in a joint
venture with an Italian company, at a similar price.
The company aims to take a lead in its share in the new
growth segment of imported wines, according to Rajeev.
About the wines
Maison
Pierre labels are both Vins de Pays (VDP) from Languedoc Roussillon. The
red is a juicy blend of Grenache-Shiraz, warm weather grapes which flourish
in the South of France. It is plumy and spicy with pleasant flavours
and soft tannins.
The white wine is a fresh Sauvignon Blanc-Marsanne blend.
Sauvignon Blanc is already very popular with the Indian palates. Marsanne
is a grape of northern Rhone and also grows well in Languedoc region where
it is used as a blending grape that adds the spiciness and nuttiness.
A juicy and fresh, crispy wine that is a great banquet, party, house and
every-occasion wine where one looks for quaffability as well.
Surprisingly, both the labels from MP have a reasonable
level of alcohol at 13% which would help it mix well with Indian cuisine
too.
'The wines have been designed with a style to please
the 25-35 year olds and the price would be very attractive for the beginners
as well as those who want to budget their spend at parties and yet want
to serve decent, quaffable blends,' says Samant.
Robert Joseph on Pierre
The well-known English wine critic and author, who is
also the Chairman of India Wine Challenge has gone beyond watching the
movie, 'A Good Year.' He has teamed up with the skilled winemaker to create
wines of intense flavour and great structure for some of his projects.
Robert is not involved in the current project, though in an
email query from delWine, he responded, 'Although I am not
involved in making these wines, I have tried both the wines and I like
the style of both. I think they will go well with the young Indian palate.'
Till it arrives in Delhi, residents can buy it and try
it too in Gurgaon at Central Arcade (opposite Sahara Mall) and Qutab Plaza
Shopping complex, DLF-I.
Subhash Arora
May 6, 2008
