| The year 2007 marked the
beginning of the next phase of Indian wine industry with
several new wineries jumping on the bandwagon. India Food
Company, Mumbai not only entered the market with its Vin
& Vouloir wines, one of its labels won a bronze medal
at the first India Wine Challenge.
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| Vin & Vouloir |
Vin & Vouloir belongs to the new generation
of Nashik producers who want to win the palates with quality
products. Says Parag Sarda, CEO Director of the India Food
Co. Pvt. Ltd. who own the winery in Nashik,' We believe
that there is a niche market which is sandwiched by the
Indian wines and premium imported wines. We plan to bring
out premium products but at affordable prices.
In the very first year the company has
brought out 7 labels. There are the staple Chenin and Sauvignon
Blancs, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Cab-Shiraz
blend and a Rose which won the bronze at the IWC.
An important and pleasing feature of the
V&V wines is the lower alcohol level; maximum being
13.5%, most being 13%. A majority of wineries of Nashik
are touching 14% and more, not a desirable trend. Alcohol
control could be perhaps the handiwork of their international
consultant winemaker David Rowe from Bordeaux, where lower
alcohol rules the roost.
When I met David in Mumbai, I almost blurted
'Bonjour,' but his warm hello gave away his British background.
Dave is a Brit living in Bordeaux for the last 15 years.
He is an international consultant who helps producers in
Cosavo as well as many importers in UK.
Launched barely a month ago on December
20 in Mumbai, V&V had a thumping start in Mumbai, says
an excited Parag. 'Our wines are already being sold in 70
shops in Mumbai alone.' He may look very unassuming and
is a low-key guy, but is very firm in his conviction to
produce only quality wines.
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| David Rowe-winemaker consultant |
Quality is where David comes in. And come
in he does- at least once a month to India. He left Mumbai
last week only to come back on February 5th again to supervise
the white wine grape crush. Talking to delWine he said,
'I believe the winemaker or consultant must be in constant
touch with the vineyard and winery and should stay committed
to the winery and not just make flying visits around harvest
time, once a year and then disappear.'
He is very pleased with the awards at the
India Wine Challenge. 'Our labour and efforts have produced
results. This will encourage us to maintain high standards
for the future.' Supplements Parag, 'Our philosophy is to
produce only premium wines and stay honest to the label
on the bottle. We use only wine grapes that we declare on
the bottle and those produced in Nashik Valley. We are already
in the process of negotiating for land for our own vineyards.'
Presently, the company is working with
contract farmers for the grapes under its supervision. Being
honest to the label may seem a given, but in the land of
Nashik and Maharashtra, laws of the jungle apply. In the
absence of any specific wine laws, some vintners are not
known for their integrity.
Vin and Vouloir are packaged beautifully
in Bordeaux type-bottles. Reds are in dark bottles and the
whites in green. To differentiate between the similar looking
attractive labels, red wines display the grape bunch in
burgundy colour, whites are in the green while the Rose
is in shocking pink. Similarly the reds are adorned with
gold capsules, whites with green and the Rose is in Red-so
there cannot be any confusion at the point of sale.
Wines are priced at Rs.450-750 ($11.5-19).
Chenin is at the low end of the spectrum while Cabernet
Sauvignon and the Cab-Shiraz are most expensive. A bit pricier
compared to the general trend in the market. Defending the
prices Parag says, ' we have kept the prices slightly higher,
but you must appreciate our premium quality and for the
high quality we offer, the prices are very reasonable.'
It is commendable for V&V to come out
with decent quality, even though their name is too French
and quite complex to write, pronounce or even remember the
first few sips (Vin is French for wine and Vouloir means
wish or desire). Robert Joseph, chairman of India Wine Challenge,
gives them thumbs up as newcomer winery and feels it is
one of the promising newcomers on the Nashik wine scene.
Subhash Arora
January 26, 2008
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