Premium varietals are re-wiring the Indian market, says Team Viva
A glass of wine a day keeps the cardiologist away, or so they say. That may be the reason that we are celebrating National Wine Day today, which is basically the best excuse ever to have a glass of it.
There is an old webcomic that describes the two kinds of wine drinkers in the world. There’s the snob who revels in swirling the glass, sniffing the bouquet and identifying the tones and undertones. And then there’s the drinker, for whom it’s just wine to glug down.
The average Indian wine consumer is still the drinker, not the snob – they may enjoy a glass or two once in a while, but is still unable to differentiate a cabernet sauvignon from a sauvignon blanc, or a pinot noir from a pinot grigio. Wine in India is confined only to the older section of men who don’t want to wake up with a hangover or the women.
“Wine never featured in the Indian drinking culture. Traditionally men would like to drink spirits, specially before having the meat. Wine is a healthier option than all the spirits but a switchover here would be a big cultural transition,” says Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO at the Grover Zampa.
Cecilia Oldne, VP Marketing at Sula Vineyards disagrees. “Wine is not confined to women at all. The consumption of wines amongst women is growing at a faster rate than men. This is because of many reasons. Wine, today, has successfully taken its place as a culturally accepted drink in India and is now being discerned as a ‘family drink’ that is consumed by men and women together, especially in the metro cities. Of course, wine is still perceived as a more sophisticated and empowering drink, and considering how women tend to be more health conscious too, in comparison to men, it is natural to think that it is a woman’s drink but that is not the case. Times are changing and wine is increasingly becoming a popular choice among both men and women today,” she says.
India is on the brink of a wine revolution. The Indian industry is witnessing a high potential for a very positive growth in the future. With a small base, the sky is the limit. Oldne believes the next level is going to be driven by the emergence of premium wine brands. “As we continue to progress towards becoming a wine nation, consumers are increasingly getting more keen to experiment and discover wines that are best suited to their palate and that goes with their favourite food too. This has led to the emergence of premium wine brands in the market to satisfy the needs of the new-age buyer. We noticed that Indian tastes have moved from the known sweeter styles to dryer.
“We have witnessed a surge in the demand for our premium wines and also sparkling, the favourite being our Brut Tropicale – along with the Rasa Shiraz – a complex red collector’s item. We recently launched an all new product in India - a limited edition range of India’s first ever Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc made from 100 per cent Chardonnay grapes. With respect to international premium wines, brands such as Ruffino, le Grand Noir, Cono Sur and Hardys grew by 70 per cent last year - these wines have also exposed Indians to world class wines from outside of India. Over the past decade, the Indian wine consumer has matured and I am certain that this will only continue over the next decade.”
Mandla says how Grover Zampa has aggressively pushed the premium wines segment, its la Reserve picking up many awards internationally and picking up points from oenologists. “We have grown much in terms of the industry average. We have a whole new range in the premium segment. We control more than 50 per cent of the reserve market in India. Not just la Reserve but all the East wines in the reserve category. last year we introduced Insignia, a 100 per cent Shiraz that comes from a single vineyard in Nandi Hills. This limited edition wine of 2014 vintage is available only in the Magnum format. Then there’s the Syrah. Our focus will always be on premium wines and we have 20 in this category thanks to the French and Australian experts. We do a proper study of the soil before we go for the land. With every new vineyard we keep on experimenting with a different set of grapes like Malbec. We have increased the distribution in 20 plus states.
“We have been able to change the mindset that only imported wines are the best a bit. But there needs to be a complete overhaul.”
The Indian wine industry has evolved considerably though it’s still in its infancy when compared to more established wine-growing regions worldwide. “We as a industry are still midway through. We have spent lot of time and energy in the export market. We are the largest exporter and we currently export 20 per cent of our produces to 30 countries. France is our first market followed by Japan and UK. We are trying to create a niche market,” says Mandla.