�These are the two wines that Jacob�s Creek puts out at Wimbledon each year as the official wine supplier of the tournament. Both are ideal for Indian wine drinkers because of their simplicity, richness of flavour, and delightfully fresh taste. Which is a good enough reason to cheer.

AUSTRALIAN Bryan Fry, at 6 feet 6 inches, is the man that Jacob�s Creek sent down to India to introduce its top wines to drinkers and connoisseurs in the metropolitan wine-drinking cities.

Fry is a viticulturist with a solid foundation in Australian wine and employed with Orlando Wyndham, owners of the famous Jacob�s Creek range of wines. After playing a key role in improving the overall wine quality through viticulture management, he has taken the next step, which is travelling internationally to educate people on Australian wines and then Jacob�s Creek.

In Bombay, Delhi, Bangalore, Calcutta, and Chennai recently, he produced two absolutely wonderful wines from the Barossa Valley vineyards of Jacob�s Creek: a Semillon Chardonnay and a Shiraz Cabernet. �These are the two wines that Jacob�s Creek puts out at Wimbledon each year as the official wine supplier of the tournament,� Fry said. �Both are ideal for Indian wine drinkers because of their simplicity, richness of flavour, and delightfully fresh taste.� Which is a good enough reason to cheer. Besides which, if the English, who can be prudish in their food and wine tastes, are happy to select an Australian wine over French and Italian for their premier sporting event, why should India not celebrate the Semillon Chardonnay and Shiraz Cabernet?

Fry quickly learnt that in India, people often drink wine for the style and not the taste or quality. Which made him pleased with the introductory wines from Jacob�s Creek for the Indian market. �The Semillon Chardonnay and Shiraz Cabernet are good everyday wines that represent the style and quality of Jacob�s Creek,� he explained. �They represent the zesty flavour and true Australian culture and lifestyle. But they also take away the mystic of wine-drinking and can be had with every meal. Sixty-four countries have already discovered this, India is the 65th to do so!�

Fry holds qualifications in management, agriculture economics and in viticulture, and has held numerous senior viticultural positions at Orlando Wyndham. �My job is right until the grapes are crushed,� he said, �it�s an amazing process,� From grape growing to wine-making, Fry has managed a team of viticulturists and wine-makers to ensure that Jacob�s Creek range of wines showcase the highest quality and consistency that Australian wines have to offer. And now he is actively involved with the international promotions to develop more understanding to the role of the viticulture in a business where the limelight is invariably given to the wine-maker.

He talks with pride about Jacob�s Creek and why it is known as �Australia�s Top Drop�. �Jacob�s Creek plays a vital role in the promotion of wine, food, sports and lifestyle through various events it sponsors around the globe. Besides Wimbledon, it also sponsors some of the world�s most popular sporting events such as the Clearwater Classic and the ANZ Ladies Masters, two of the highest-rated golf championships internationally, and the World Cup Rugby. And Jacob�s Creek is the sponsor for the World Food Media Awards, the only international competition that covers the widest range of gastronomic areas.�

Fry considers himself Jacob�s Creek ambassador in Asia, South Asia and the Pacific, and he has made it his mission to develop its range as the leading New World wine brand in these regions. Besides which, he is wine consultant on the Wine Export Approval Panel for the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, and resides on the Australian Wine Export Council�s Asia/Pacific Exporter Committee.

Ask Bryan Fry to speak about himself and he grins boyishly and says his interests are truly Australian and varied, ranging from golf to Australian football. But it is wine, and Jacob�s Creek, that he would rather talk about. He is happy with the interest shown in India for wine and will do his best to try and lift the wine-drinking culture. �We�ll offer Jacob�s Creek by the glass and get people to taste our wines, then give us feedback, that way we�ll get into the restaurants,� he said.

And he revealed his professional notes on the wines he had introduced to India: �The Semillon Chardonnay combines two of Australia�s outstanding grape varieties , Semillon and Chardonnay. The fresh citrus character of Semillon and the richness of Chardonnay produce a crisp, refreshing, medium-bodied dry wine with an abundance of lemon and tropical fruit flavour. The Semillon gives the wine its grassy, fresh flavour, and the Chardonnay lends a touch of smoothness and creaminess to the blend. It is a zesty, refreshing and soft wine. You can serve it chilled as a pre-dinner wine or enjoy it with white meats, seafood, and summer salads.�

And the Shiraz Cabernet: �It is sourced from a variety of Australia�s grape growing regions. Vintages from premium Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are skillfully blended, it is a medium-bodied red wine with ripe plum and berry fruit flavours, mellow tannins and subtle oak integration. It goes well with red meats, chicken, pasta and matured cheese.�

With his jet-setting job with Jacob�s Creek keeping him offshores so much and with Australia�s Top Drop getting increasingly popular in the world, did he find time often to enjoy a good bottle of wine himself or was he working all the time? �I taste all of our wines,� Fry said, �and at home I have a cellar that has, say, 420 bottles of wine that include some of my personal favourites... the Australian Riesling, which ages well, and which is not sweet like the German Riesling, but dry and crisp.�