Sommelier Cecilia Oldne took up the Indian soil as a challenge and has helped rebrand Maharashtra's first winery. She shares her vision of changed India with Team Viva
They say changes are all about the journey. In a whiskey drinking nation, making steady inroads into the wine drinking habits of Indians have seen a revolution strongly among women. “There is a lot growth coming from women. They are getting independent in every context, be it workforce or the choice of their own preferred wine. Moreover, it is more sophisticated. They feel drinking wine at societal events is perfectly acceptable, and they are more comfortable with it as compared to other spirits”, said Cecilia Oldne, a trained Sommelier and also the face of Nashik’s first winery in India and across the globe.
Unsurprisingly Cecilia’s journey started over a glass of wine and a family vacation over a decade ago, “I came in from a wine loving family, but no business as such. My father is a collector, whenever we went down to a vacation to a beach, we used to carry a bottle of wine to Sweden and open it up with the memories which would bring an instant smile on my parent’s face. It used to be a very warm and appealing gesture to me. I started learning more about it, and fell in love with it. So it was a passion and above all lobbying minds in wine companies.” Elaborating further about her first meet with Rajeev Samant, the founder of Sula Vineyards, Nashik’s first winery, she added, “I started studying wine so that I know the marketing techniques to sell it. So I set up my own wine company then and had an office in Cape Town. During this time, there was a wine exhibition in the city where luckily I met him, and he was carrying the bottle of Sula sometimes in 2003. It wasn’t the quality that mattered; it was the story and the man behind the brand that really impressed me. He offered me a job which I couldn’t say no to and within a couple of months, I was in India. It is exciting to be a part of wine revolution journey in India.”
The concept that it adds to a meal with no next day hang-ups seems to have gone well among the youths of our nation, “People are getting more exposed to the western culture, they see food and wine complimenting each other not only in the films but also during trips to abroad. It makes a healthy combination”, she expressed.
When asked about the fine wines that the winery is selling within the country, she said, “Rasa is the most premium of all with power and finesse. It is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels and then further matured in the bottle before release. Another being dindori, barrel aged in American oak, with flavours of berries and vanilla. We do not produce this in huge quantity; it’s more like a boutique wine.” This explains developing a barrel is a story in itself. She also mentioned the countries this Indian winery is importing to, “We export to 30 countries, and the biggest market outside India is the United Kingdom. We work with primarily three different partners, one of them being Marks and Spencer. After UK it’s Japan sharing the pace with Germany, a huge market to explore. Then US, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Finland."
Breaking the old world wine market, she explained the main buyers here, the restaurants or the Indian community, “It’s actually varies among countries. In Japan, it’s very interesting; we have been trying to actually understand why they are doing so particularly well in the island country as compared to other wine countries. I think they are way too open to new products and very particular about the quality. So it’s actually testimony for us that we actually have good quality also consistency and is accompanied with the rising sun. We have a sun on the label. Japan for various reasons has been very successful for us. In Germany it’s both retail and restaurants. In UK it’s a lot of Indian bistros. Chicken Tikka is a national dish in UK and not because only Indians consume but everyone does. They are very interested in the whole idea of Indian food on Marks and Spencer’s and the wine is selling well like there is no tomorrow. And not just to Indians but everyone who is interested in India and Yoga, desi food, etc that adds to a bottle of Indian wine.”
The success of wine is visible when one goes through the bar carte of any restaurant with an array of wine to offer. Talking further about the wine revolution in Pan Asia, she explains, “China is not at that level altogether, it is trying to be something it can’t be but India is playing its own role. Many people here have different background and different approach to wine. India is more like a continent with different rules and regulations in every state. Meanwhile, Thailand also produces some kind of quality wine. And Myanmar is joining the bandwagon.”
“The reason I am interested in international market is primarily because when India started wine making especially Sula it began the revolution. So, it was seen as a brave experiment in our country which was into wine making. Down the years the initial euphoria over wine making at home dived down because there was always a misapprehension that maybe the quality is not refined as it should be with western label”, she said in an explanation to make Sula an international brand.
Answering the question of whether Sula wines in particular has managed to break the myth and where is it heading towards, in terms of standards, she narrated, “One thing of course, is the process of learning. And I would be very honest and say 15 years ago wines were not up to the standards. We don’t have the tradition of producing wine in India. We had to put a lot of efforts into research and trials in the beginning with different grapes variety and wines we brought from all over the world and we tried and many didn’t work. It was very difficult process but we have learnt that. Many of the grapes didn’t do very well in our climate conditions. So, we focused on the product that actually is working with grapes then it came to wine making. So first and foremost was the cultural aspect, we got expertise from Australia and also sent the team that works with Sula across the world. It was difficult from the beginning to work with the farmers and convince them saying that if you give us less grapes per hectare we will pay you more.” She signed off emphasizing quality over quantity.