Shaambhavi Hingorani, daughter of former foreign minister S M Krishna, hopes her wines will reach out to women and those just discovering the pleasures of the drink
Hingorani says she had nursed dreams of launching her own wine after they bought the vineyards, measuring around 50 acres, but she initially sold her harvest to wineries in Maharashtra following the first crop in 2006. It took a crash in grape prices in 2010 due to a glut in production for her to finally use her own grapes and take the plunge into winemaking. The result is a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Syrah (a shiraz) from the first vintage of 2012, launched in Bangalore two months ago. A Chenin Blanc will follow in October, and reserves of all three will hit the market at the end of the year.
Trying to recall the first glass of wine she had, Hingorani says it must have been champagne at her wedding. Her experience, since, has come from the various wines she has sampled on travels around the world. Somewhat surprisingly, when pressed to pick a favourite wine, she initially demurs on the grounds that she drinks everything, before settling for a Cabernet Sauvignon. Husband Umesh, though, is a veteran in the liquor business, having been vice-president with United Breweries before starting his own bottled water venture - incidentally, he is also UB Chairman Vijay Mallya's half-brother. The SDU office we are sitting in overlooks Mallya's Kingfisher Towers, currently under construction. "I ask Umesh for advice occasionally but otherwise this is very much my own baby," she says, laughing. Her father, she says, liked the fact that they had chosen an Indian name for the product.
Trying to recall the first glass of wine she had, Hingorani says it must have been champagne at her wedding. Her experience, since, has come from the various wines she has sampled on travels around the world. Somewhat surprisingly, when pressed to pick a favourite wine, she initially demurs on the grounds that she drinks everything, before settling for a Cabernet Sauvignon. Husband Umesh, though, is a veteran in the liquor business, having been vice-president with United Breweries before starting his own bottled water venture - incidentally, he is also UB Chairman Vijay Mallya's half-brother. The SDU office we are sitting in overlooks Mallya's Kingfisher Towers, currently under construction. "I ask Umesh for advice occasionally but otherwise this is very much my own baby," she says, laughing. Her father, she says, liked the fact that they had chosen an Indian name for the product.
Perhaps to stand out in the crowded domestic wine market, SDU (the initials stand for Shaambhavi, son Deva and husband Umesh) is projecting itself as a boutique winery. Globally, the term denotes wineries that usually sell limited quantities, and where the owners are fiercely passionate about their work and are involved with every stage of the operation. Deva's proprietor says SDU calls itself a boutique winery because all the grapes that go into the wine are those harvested from her own vineyards and there is strict control to ensure quality and consistency. The job of ensuring this has been given to Andrea Valentinuzzi, an Italian viticulturist and winemaker with over 25 years' experience in the industry. Valentinuzzi was previously overseeing the production of Vintage Wines' Reveilo, which Business Standard columnist and wine consultant Alok Chandra had dubbed one of the best wines in India, when it was launched.
"Our wines are very easy on the palate," says Hingorani, who feels it will appeal equally to the first-time wine drinker and the connoisseur. The Cabernet Sauvignon, a dry red, goes best with curries and kababs that are not overly spiced, as well as pastas while the recommended pairing for the Syrah is white meats and pasta. "The Deva wines are light and refreshing on the palate, with a nice balance of sweetness and acidity. It's the kind of wine that can be paired with both canapes and kababs," says Heemanshu Ashar, former president of Bangalore Wine Club. Ashar was also involved as a consultant with Deva, and worked on the label's design. "The wine-maker has succeeded in making it approachable. In taste, they remind me of the Beaujolais (A region in France known for its light red wines)," says Ashar, adding that he would suggest serving the Syrah at a little cooler than room temperature.
However, a connoisseur who has sampled the wines and requested not to be named was of the opinion that while Deva wines are drinkable, they are not yet great quality.
For a boutique winery, the wines seem to be priced accessibly, at Rs 325 for a 350 ml bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Rs 600 for 700 ml. Similarly, the Syrah comes at Rs 275 for the smaller bottle and Rs 500 for 700 ml. The reserves, says Hingorani, will be priced higher. SDU aims to produce 3,000 cases (there are 12 bottles in a case) in 2013-14 out of which around 500 has been released to retail outlets, hotels and restaurants in Bangalore so far. We hope to be national by 2016," says Hingorani. A tour of the winery is also on the cards, for later in the year.
The promoters have invested Rs 4.5 crore so far, mostly funded by equity. The bulk of the investment has been in the winery's machinery. "It's a business with a long gestation period so it will take five to seven years to break even," says Mohit Nischol, the business head, adding that it was too early in the day to talk about profit margins. Currently, Deva is retailing at over 30 outlets in Bangalore. BN Raghuveer, the proprietor of Cyber Wines, a retail liquor outlet near MG Road, says he sells four to five cases of Deva a month, out of the 40 to 50 cases of wine the shop sells monthly.
The question, of course, is whether yet another wine label will be able to make a mark. Mahantesh Murgod, MD of the Karnataka Wine Board, says 35-36 lakh litres of wine are being produced in Karnataka alone. Murgod says the demand for wines is growing, with more small wineries coming up. The Wine Board, he says, is also doing its bit to promote the culture of wine through activities such as wine festivals. Ashar, too, feels there is headroom for growth. "I'm not saying wine-drinking will become the fabric of our culture but at every social engagement I attended in the past 18 months, wine has been served," he says. The ease of getting wine licences in Bangalore (Rs 5,000) has also gone a long way in promoting wine-drinking. For her part, Hingorani says the wine market is only evolving, with more people discovering it, and drinking it even for health benefits. And even with retail shelves that are now filled with rows and rows of wine labels, Deva, she hopes, will create a spot for itself.
The question, of course, is whether yet another wine label will be able to make a mark. Mahantesh Murgod, MD of the Karnataka Wine Board, says 35-36 lakh litres of wine are being produced in Karnataka alone. Murgod says the demand for wines is growing, with more small wineries coming up. The Wine Board, he says, is also doing its bit to promote the culture of wine through activities such as wine festivals. Ashar, too, feels there is headroom for growth. "I'm not saying wine-drinking will become the fabric of our culture but at every social engagement I attended in the past 18 months, wine has been served," he says. The ease of getting wine licences in Bangalore (Rs 5,000) has also gone a long way in promoting wine-drinking. For her part, Hingorani says the wine market is only evolving, with more people discovering it, and drinking it even for health benefits. And even with retail shelves that are now filled with rows and rows of wine labels, Deva, she hopes, will create a spot for itself.
Source: http://to.ly/mgEU
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