Glenn McGrath Launches William Hardy Range of Wines in India

McGrath at the launch
Pic: Prashant Sharma/Sula Vineyards

It was the ‘first ball’ of the ‘second over’ by Glenn McGrath. Quite expectedly, the ‘line and length’ was consistent, coherent with his reputation of being one of the greatest bowlers of cricketing history.

Before you wonder why I am  talking cricket in a wine blog, let me put things in perspective. With Glenn McGrath donning the Hardys attire frequently in his role as brand ambassador, similies like these are bound to arise. The ‘second over’ in the present context was the official launch of William Hardy Range (WHR) of wines in India, the first one being when McGrath arrived last year to launch the “Art of Cricket” collection reported earlier in this space. On a three city tour to Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata, McGrath wowed wine lovers of all hues, whether cricket fans or not. I found my privileged place in the Delhi edition courstey Prarrthona Pal Chowdhury, the mercurial General Manager - International Brands & Trade Marketing Sula Vineyards, the import partner of Hardys in India.

The William Hardy Range

The launch of WHR in India was impending ever since William (Bill) Hardy himself came visiting the country in the autumn of 2015 to introduce his eponymous label in person. The collection, which is in line with Hardys precedence of honouring its generational icons with dedicated labels was initially launched in 2012, the year the brand completed 160 years and when Bill, a fifth generation family member, completed 40 years of dedicated service to the business.

Sampling the William Hardy Range in 2015 with Bill Hardy himself

During Bill’s visit, I also had the opportunity to interact one-on-one with him, and  get first hand knowledge on WHR wines, along with tasting these wines (notes given towards the end of this post) . Those interested, please read about my personal rendezvous with Bill Hardy in details here.

About the Range

In summary, the WHR comprises of single varietal- single region wines, intended to grow with the years to match the stature of their prestige wines like the Eileen Hardy (named after Bill’s grandmother) range. Two wines- a Chardonnay from the Limestone Coast and a Shiraz from McLaren Vale, form this range. The wines conform to Hardys  philosophy of blending between different vineyards to get the best out of  various terroirs. Hardys Chief Winemaker  Paul Lapsley has blended cuvées from prestigious cool as well as warm climate parcels in order to come up with wines that deliver great depth and intensity of flavour.”

The Launch Event

The arrival of WHR wines in India was formally announced at a  dinner, jointly organized by  Sula wines, ITC Maurya and Delhi Wine Club. Ottimo Cucina Italiana- an Italian speciality restaurant situated on the 18^th floor of the hotel offered a panoramic view of Delhi, even as the guests reveled  interacting with McGrath-  a revered icon of cricket playing nations like India.  Wines from Hardys “Stamp” and “Art of Cricket” collection were served during the evening, since the WHR wines are currently in the final stages of reaching the Indian market after meeting the regulatory requirements. A vast range of fine Italian food comprising of pastas, grills, charcuterie, cheeses and breads kept the wines in good company.

McGrath with guests at the William Hardy Range launch dinner
Pic: Prashant Sharma/ Sula Vineyards

Ann Marie-Sharp, representative from Accolade Wines, the umbrella organization for Hardys, told me that after Bill’s visit last year, they pragmatically studied the Indian market and felt that the time was just ripe to introduce the WHR wines. She further  informed that these wines take Hardys offering in India a notch higher than their already available range with the  retail price of each of these wines ex Delhi, being ₹ 2500.00. Excise being a state subject in India, the wines are priced lesser in Chennai (₹ 970.00) and Kolkata (₹ 1900.00). So Chennai wine lovers have one more reason to be happy other than  McGrath's association with the MRF Pace Academy in the city.

The wines will also be available in other major cities including Mumbai and Bangalore.

William Hardy Chardonnay

The grapes for this wine have been sourced from the famous Limestone Coast region. The cool coastal climate allows the grapes to naturally ripen slowly and thereby intensify the flavours.WH Chardonnay is full bodied,with citrus and stone fruit flavours, notably peaches. Subtle oak highlights give it an extra character. A good match with pasta and creamy dishes.

William Hardy Shiraz

Made with grapes from McLaren Vale, Clare Valley & Frankland River- the best growing regions for Shiraz,  this  deep ruby coloured wine has a vibrant nose of blackberry, plum and cinnamon. The palate is intense and lush with soft velvety tannins and a long finish. The wine will work well with tandoori and other robust Indian preparations like chicken tikka, mah ki dal- tandoori roti (slow cooked black lentils with butter stirred in, accompanied by clay oven flat bread) and likewise.

'Pigeon's' wine flight

Odds are high that a cricket lover in India will not be aware of a wine brand, but flip this and any Indian wine lover will surely know who Glenn McGrath is. The Aussie cricketer has a universal charm and is idolized by zillions of fans in  cricketing nations . But what does an iconic cricketer have to do with a wine brand? Same as Sachin Tendulkar  with a Cola or  Virat Kohli with an Anti Dandruff Shampoo. Being celebrity consumers, they instil a certain confidence amongst  the general consumer about quality of the product that they endorse.

Hardys, the Aussie wine giant, have appointed McGrath as their Brand Ambassador and dedicated a special label to him called "Hardys Art of Cricket" . The label carries  'Pigeon's' (McGrath's popular nick name)  photo and signature,with an obvious intent of  catching the wine  fancy of the Indian cricketing  buff.

Hardys Art of Cricket Collection with McGrath's photo and signature

I had the privilege of being invited to a special event called "Hardys fine Australian wine and True Aussie Lamb"  hosted by the Australian High Commissioner in India, H.E. Patrick Suckling at his residence in New Delhi this May. The highlight of the evening was  McGrath's towering persona- staturewise as well as literally (at 6 ft 4 in tall).  The icon mixed freely with wine lovers patiently addressing all their cricket and wine queries. The wines for the evening though, were Hardys already  available "Stamp Collection"  as the "Art of Cricket" collection will hit the Indian market only by August this year as intimated by Sula Selections- Hardys' importers in India.

Glenn McGrath with Ann-Marie Battista presenting an autographed English willow to H.E. Patrick Suckling
Pic: Australian High Commission, New Delhi

Hardys is a well recognized wine brand synonymous with 'value for money' wines. It all started in  1857, when Thomas Hardy bottled his first vintage and became one of the first exporters of Australian wines. In India, their wines have been available since 2003. In Asia, Japan is the largest market for Hardys wines with India ranking an impressive eighth – very encouraging for a country with per capita consumption of just a few milliliters of wine.

Random glimpses of Hardys "Art of Cricket" launch function in New Delhi

The evening at New Delhi started with rounds of Hardy's Pinot Noir Chardonnay followed by other variants of the Stamp Collection. To accompany the wines, there was a delightful dégustation menu put together by Chef Justin Zammit of Epicure (Brisbane) where  Aussie lamb in different preparations was the highlight. Pairings were as under:

(prices of wines are indicated ex Delhi/ Mumbai):

Hardys Pinot Noir Chardonnay Sparkling (₹ 1320/1755) 

A balanced and fruity sparkling wine. 

Served with corn fed chicken liver terrine with raisin chutney and rosemary brioche.

Hardys Riesling-Gewurztraminer (₹ 960/1390)

An aromatic wine with abundance of tropical fruits and an off-dry inclination. 

Served with homemade duck prosciutto, honey black pepper glaze, rye bread crouton.

Hardys Chardonnay-Semillon (₹ 1060/1390) 

A light and refreshing wine with stone fruit flavours. 

Served with poached green asparagus, extra virgin olive oil, sun-dried heirloom tomatoes and herbal buffalo mozzarella (served warm in petit jars).

Hardys Cabernet-Merlot (₹ 820/1390)

An expressive wine, showing red berries and oak aromas accompanied by a fruity palate.

Served with charred yoghurt marinated Australian lamb, salad of baby cos and pomegranate, toum and za atar flat bread; Spring Australian lamb confit, potato mousseline and jus; Roasted Australian lamb loin, butternut pumpkin,smoked eggplant and semolina fondant.

Hardys Shiraz-Cabernet (₹ 1080/1390)

A robust wine with aromas of blackberries, dark cherries and spice with a complementing palate and an oaky finish. 

Served with salt water Australian lamb, smoked carrot shavings and crisp ancient grains; Slow poached Australian lamb loin, coconut green curry.

Ann-Marie Battista, Hardys representative, told me that the brand is steeped in tradition and has won more than 9000 international wine awards. Hardys is largely recognised for being approachable, consistent, fun and dependable. Cricket mirrors these exact sentiments – technique, consistency, knowledge and years of hard work and perseverance. Hardys are honoured to introduce Glenn as their Brand Ambassador to India. "We believe our partnership with Glenn is perfect to raise Hardys brand awareness with wine consumers and become the Australian brand of choice in India", added Ann-Marie.

"Both cricket and wine are pursuits of passion and it is my pleasure to bring these two together", McGrath said. He claims that he lives to eat and does not eat to live. This association with Hardys will give him more chances to visit India, a country that he thinks of as his second home. In lighter vein, he also said that as a Brand Ambassador, he finds more acceptability amongst Indians since he is no longer bowling to Sachin Tendulkar!

McGrath was candid enough in sharing that he is not a wine expert but someone who is interested in good wines. Before his new role as Hardys brand ambassador, he spent time at the Hardys facility in Adelaide, understanding the intricacies of winemaking in order to be conversant with the winemaking philosophy of the brand.

The 'pigeon' looks set to fly the long haul.

P.S. I did manage to get an autograph as well!

This article is an adaptation from my original piece in  vino india