All Things Luxury for Nikhil Agarwal

He knows how to live it up and works hard to ensure his clients get the very best of the finest in high-end experiences he can offer. All Things Nice is Nikhil Agarwal’s luxury answer to all things desired   


Interviewed by Lyle Michael
Photographed by Vijay Barathe

Wine fuels conversation. When at Bombay’s new buzz, The Wine Rack, with a red in hand, we indulge in the finest – of conversations and wine – with the man who brings luxury to the table. He does so in unabashed style, expanding his portfolio as the years progress. He will continue to command the best, expose the greatest, offer the ‘nicest’ and promulgate the cause of luxury; wines and spirits, cigars and cheeses, apparel and accessories, gifting options, real estate, automobiles, stock market investments and more, and more. It’s All Things Nice to neatly summarise.
“All Things Wine would not have worked looking back now,” smiles Nikhil, the 40-year-old sommelier and founder/CEO of the luxury marketing, sales and distribution, and consultancy company All Things Nice (ATN), launched in 2010. “Palates and the population have evolved considerably that it goes way beyond wine. Life is lived large and we’re here to make it as large as possible.” ATN will be hedonistic! A taste of it was served at the Submit dinner held last year in the High Street Phoenix courtyard where the entire mall was shut down and 40 diners were held mesmerised through the night, the décor highlighting the elements of food and wine, that are essentially art, complemented with live sculpture by artist Lekha Washington and poetry reading by Anil Dharker, among other attractions. “This time around we are headed to the progressive standalone Masque where Chef Prateek has worked on a five-course dinner with 10 different wines. Over the top, grander!” exclaims Nikhil with glee.
It takes all his favourite things to get him giddy, the very same man who was not into wines back then, fresh as a postgraduate from Xavier’s Institute of Communications (XIC) and one who could not even pronounce Sauvignon Blanc, let alone sell the wine, when employed at Sula’s sales division 18 years ago. His first shot in the alco-bev industry, quite randomly, taught him the right pronunciation of the grape and much more, with the imports and exports under his supervision in a span of three years. Post which luxury giant LVMH opened its doors to Nikhil, to consult and work full-time; the launch of Glenmorangie and Belvedere a massive project to write home about. Experience doubled, next up was a stint with a private wine importer dealing in heavy duty wines, followed by Diageo as trade marketing manager, then the Wine Society of India as project director and finally home, with All Things Nice, all on his own. The self-made man - never having dipped into his inherited coffers, says he - has traversed the long road, sipping on his choicest whites today, and his cognacs and malts, and watches and cars, and much else. He strives to do it all, walk the talk, live it up and work to the bone, day in and day out, from one corner to another, of the country, of the world. Try 12 trips in a span of six months last year, all on the job!
Quips Nikhil, “Much to the ire of the Mrs, Cheryl, travel is tremendous.Particularly to Europe. For instance, as a judge for wine and spirit competitions, to Frankfurt, Vienna, the Diageo World Spirits event, Decanter Awards, trade shows and the like. ATN took a group of wine aficionados to Burgundy last year for a five-day trip, at the cost of Euro 5400 per person, exclusive of airfare. We do three or four such trips every year.” When stationed on ground, it’s time spent on the ATN events, from blind tastings to the famed Wine Week and the Indian Wine Consumer Choice Awards. Or Malt Week with Diageo to tequila-pairing dinners, Tour de Cognac with Martell, dinners with international chefs, cigar-rolling masterclasses to gin-tasting, ATN Shine Nights and lots more. Let’s narrow it down to a five-day, three-event week on a routine schedule for ATN. All to ensure its 10,000 members are ‘well-fed’.
And now it’s time to wind down.
“Look, I was a global backpacker in my college days, so I breathe travel. But now, I have my wife and my twins Sara and Vivaan who I wish to make a big part of this life, which in effect means more holidays with them and less solo work travel. Weekends are purely for family or for Cheryl and me to go on date nights and party with friends. When dining out, it’s most definitely Continental or Asian, and the perfect wine, upon my selection, which can drive my lady up the wall! At home, I can rustle up a good Alio Olio served with the right white or red and if we’re hosting, then believe me, there’s enough of vino to keep a party of 100 happy.” That’s Nikhil signing off, roughly planning his itinerary, which includes travel of course, an Indian regional cuisine and global wines pairing soon, and his next column – a contributing writer/editor to leading publications another feather in his luxurious cap.