Sula's "Globe in a Glass" Roadshow: Connecting Carnival Style

This summer,  I was quite fortunate to be in Buttrio, a commune in Udine, a major province of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy during the period when their regional wine fair was on. It was the perfect occasion to sample a host of wines from the Friulian region under a single roof which would otherwise not be possible for a random visitor on a tight itinerary. It was also a moment when I silently  wished to witness such wine fairs in India with a carnival like atmosphere, where you just enjoy the wines in a carefree manner, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere,  without having to worry about taking notes etc.

Surprisingly, my wish came true a bit sooner than I  had imagined. To top it, not only with wines but spirits as well!  The occasion was "Globe in a Glass Roadshow 2016" in New Delhi organized by
Sula Selections, the import arm of Sula Vineyards, India's largest winemaker. The event  showcased Sula's import offerings  supplemented by their domestic portfolio "under one roof"- in this case the big blue sky.

The spirit of the roadshow- an outdoor setting, drinks, food, music and conversations.

The Event

The Delhi fixture of Sula's roadshow was the first in the series of three- the other two to be held in Bangalore on 5th and Mumbai on 7th Oct 16.  As I publish this piece, the Bangalore version is likely to be in its full bloom. Leading wine and spirit producers from different corners of the world have joined hands with Sula for these day-long events, offering guests  the opportunity to sample Wines, Liqueurs, Cognac, Tequila, Brandy and more while meeting the people behind the brands.

For the Delhi version, the venue was  'Lodi – The Garden Restaurant' located in the serene precincts of one of the greenest spots of the Indian capital. The event truly resembled a carnival, with music and food adding to the charm of the liquid pleasures while people from different industries, diplomats, industry leaders and socialites mingled to strike conversations while they enjoyed the wide range of offerings.

Top: Emma Hammonds, Regional Director, Asia, Constellation Brands serves the Ruffino wines
Bottom (L) Pitú Cachaça  (R) Bouchard Aîné  & Fils stall

The Offerings

Almost the entire Sula Selections portfolio was showcased at the event- only exceptions being their labels which are not registered in Delhi State. Guests could sample Mud House from New Zealand, Hardys Australia, Trapiche Argentina, Cono Sur Chile, Kumala South Africa, Antica Sambuca, Remy Martin Cognac and St Remy Brandy France, Ruffino Italy, Cointreau France, Don Alejandro Tequila Mexico, Mount Gay Rum Barbados, , Volare Italy, Pitu Cachaça Brazil, Bouchard Aîné  & Fils France, and Le Grand Noir France.

A distinct feature of the event was cocktails made exclusively from Sula's spirits brands which silently conveyed the versatility of their portfolio capable of whipping up famed cocktails like Side Car, Mimosa, Mai Tai, - and their signature Cointreaupolitan (a Cosmopolitan sans vodka) entirely on their own. It also afforded them to display the main ingredients of the respective cocktails through their brand logos facilitating a strong consumer recall (image below).

(L) The main ingredients of famed cocktails depicted graphically, (R) Fresh ingredients at hand

The Genesis

Speaking on the occasion, Noi Cecilia Oldne, VP – Marketing & Global Brand Ambassador at Sula Vineyards, said “This tour was put together for our valued customers, bringing wines and spirits produced or imported by Sula, and the people behind the brands all under one roof.  Sula is today not only the leading wine producer in India but also one of the top wine and spirits importers. This was a great opportunity for Sula, suppliers and customers to engage.”

That India is a promising market for Wine has been repeatedly acknowledged by global wine entities through their continuing engagement with the country. With respect to Spirits, India is already the fifth largest consumer in the world and likely to overtake Philippines as  fourth largest by 2017 (source: IWSR report for 2012-2017). It  therefore makes sense for importers in India to develop a diverse portfolio of wines and spirits that meet the aspirations of the world's fastest growing economy.  A market outreach is essential to keep the sales volumes at a viable business levels and Sula's roadshow did just that with ingenuity- more significantly considering the restrictions applicable on advertisement and promotion of alcoholic beverages in India.

For wine and spirits lovers the carnival has just begun.

Amongst others, I also had the privilege to bond with Sula's Chief Winemaker Ajoy Shaw (R)
and Karan Vasani, Winemaker Red Wines (L)

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.

10 Indian Wines to Gift this Festive Season

The festive season in India is on its way to reach a crescendo with Diwali- the festival of lights- being just a few days away. With that, the scurry to plan celebrations and scout for gifts has also started. Traditionally on Diwali, Indians clean their homes elaborately, light them up with diyas (earthen lamps), and perform pooja (prayers) to invoke Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi- the Hindu deities considered as harbingers of good luck and prosperity respectively. Diwali is also the occasion to exchange gifts with near and dear ones, as well as professional associates. And this brings us to our favourite topic- wine.

Over the years Indians have been looking for new gifting ideas beyond the traditional sweets and dry fruits. With the overall awareness on wine going up, it is also turning out to be one of the favourite gifting ideas spelling class and sophistication. But choosing the right wine for  gifting can become a tedious issue if one is unsure about the preferences of the intended recipient. The dilemma is accentuated by a multitude of labels available on retail shelves. Then how should one go about picking the right wine?

Having received many such queries over the past years, particularly during festive occasions, I thought of coming up with a list of wines based on my personal experience. Since the  list could become humungous, I decided to stick to Indian wines on three accounts. Firstly, Indian wines have seen admirable evolution in the past few years, winning global awards and featuring in the wine lists of Michelin starred restaurants. Secondly, thanks to the absence of customs duties (as much as 160%), they invariably offer good value for money as compared to their imported counterparts. And lastly- the supply chain for these wines being much shorter, there is lesser chances of spoilage on account of improper handling/storage.

However, the number of 'good' Indian wines could be many more than just a list of 10. Hence I also narrowed down the focus based on the following considerations:

• I should have tasted each wine at least twice to find them consistently good.
• The wines should be available in at least two major metros of India- viz. Delhi and Mumbai.
• To include generic personality types of wine consumers.

So here is my festive pick for 2015 (wines listed category wise and not in any order of precedence):

Tasting Janus- the first 100% Grape Brandy from India

Last week ended on a heady note for me. As I received a call from Prarrthona Pal Chowdhury, Head Marketing, Brandy Project & International Brands  at Sula Vineyards proposing a private tasting of Janus- their recently launched premium brandy- I  agreed on it despite the short notice. Having already read about the Mumbai tastings of the brandy, I was eager to taste  it at the earliest, and here was a ready opportunity.

But why was I so keen to taste an Indian brandy after having experienced many international brands of repute? Simply because Janus happens to be the first 100% grape brandy produced in India. Then what exactly are the rest? For that let us first try to understand brandy in the right perspective.

What is a brandy?

The word  “brandy” originated from "brandewijn" - a Dutch term for burnt wine. In olden days when wine was being transported in barrels through the tardy sea route, there were frequent cases of spoilage owing to climatic variations and uncontrolled storage conditions. A workaround to this problem saw wine being distilled, dramatically improving the shelf life of this “burnt wine”, which was then consumed at the destination diluted with water.

But there is more to brandy than just “burning” wine. Evidence of its use in medicine over the centuries is aplenty. It has since then evolved as a refined alcoholic beverage, largely revolving around two aspects- Geographic Indication and Oak Ageing. Hence we know Cognac, Armagnac and other fine brandies the way they are.

The Brandy classification however applies to any fruit originated spirit and not just grapes. Hence we have Calvados (an apple brandy), Poire Williams (a pear brandy) and so on. But grape brandy has been most prevalent with its recognized high antioxidant and  remedial properties. Probably the reason why the French coined the special term Eau de vie meaning "water of life" for this elixir.

Given this background, it becomes imperative that when we buy a brandy for its virtues, it should  be a 100% grape spirit rather than a blend of other distillates. In the Indian context (also in majority of Asian region) the latter is quite common with even grain based spirits finding their way inside the blend . Hence the arrival of a home grown 100% grape brandy  as Janus has come as a welcome development for connoisseurs of fine beverages in India.

The Blind Tasting

My tasting experience at Prarrthona’s behest involved  three samples poured out of non descript bottles with a simple premise- to discern the smoothest one and to guess which one could probably be Janus. The “simple” agenda though, had more to it as she further told me that samples other than Janus could be anything- whisky, rum, or another brandy.  The task looked uphill but I decided to be patient and go over the samples in three iterations as follows:

• Ruling out by exception.
• Identifying typical traits of each sample.
• Confirming my findings through a rerun.

The tasting sitting with Prarrthona Pal Chowdhury at ITC Maurya (Pics: Prarrthona Pal Chowdhury)

Here is how it went (my inferences shown in parentheses):

Iteration # 1 : Colour and Aromas only.

Sample 1: Light coloured with unmistakable malt notes amongst others. (most probably a whisky).
Sample 2: Glowing amber colour, a honeyed nose accompanied by  citrus fruit aromas (undecided).
Sample 3: Deep gold with peaty nose (a scotch whisky for sure).

Iteration # 2 Aromas and Palate.

Sample 1: Malt notes confirmed with floral and sherry notes. (reasonably sure about whisky).
Sample 2: Sweet spice and floral notes with the smoothest finish of all (betting heavy on brandy)
Sample 3: Deep gold with peaty nose. Rich flavours but not so smooth (a whisky for sure)

Iteration # 3 Confirmation.

Sample 1: Earlier observations confirmed. (This is a whisky).
Sample 2: Most likely this is Janus.
Sample 3: Definitely a whisky.

As I conveyed my opinion to Prarrthona, she was delighted the same way as I was. For her, it was the vindication of confidence in her brand which she had so boldly pitted against other reputed ones. For me, it was a reassurance of my primal senses related to beverages appreciation.

Having known which one was Janus, I could now dwell  leisurely to analyse it as a brandy. I found that apart from the smoothness it had a refined feel that was inclined towards the Cognac style replete with a full body and a fruity and spicy character.

Prarrthona told me that the Cognac orientation of Janus was a given since the product had started as a collaboration between Remy Cointreau and Sula. With the exit of Remy Cointreau from India as a business rehash and  selling of their assets (including brandy stocks and equipment) to the Indian winemaker, Janus continues to be produced using the same equipment (pot stills, limousine oak barrels etc)  that was specially  imported from Remy’s facility in France. French Master Blender, Yonael Bernard  has purposefully created a smooth and distinctive blend that carries the Cognac character with aplomb.

Currently Janus is available in Goa at ₹ 1500.00 / ₹ 395.00  for a 750 ml  / 180 ml bottle. I am told that it will soon to be launched in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore followed by other cities pan India. 

But isn’t it a marketing challenge to convince the average Indian consumer to buy a significantly higher priced brandy when there are lesser “brandies” that sell at nearly half the price? Prarrthona tells me that they see Janus as having no competition in the current brandy market owing to its entirely different niche. However, she acknowledges that they will have to conduct awareness campaigns to educate the consumer on this aspect.

In the meantime, I seem to have found a perfect local companion for my “Sidecar”.