Wine story
The Indian Wine Alley
Down 25 Years
Indians have been drinking spirits ever since the Bronze Age when wine cultivation was brought to India by Persian traders. Circa 2000, when UpperCrust was born, vintners created some amazing wines, sparkling wines, fizzy and fruit wines. Here's to going down India's wine trail...Cheers to 25 years, and more!
Text: Farzana Contractor
It might surprise you to know wine- making in India dates back to the Bronze Age when Persian traders introduced grape cultivation to our region. That was when the practise of making wines from grapes and grain became common.
Later, during the Vedic period when tribes indulged in intoxicating drinks, wine was likely among them. The Rigveda mentions a drink called sura which might have been a rice wine. But the first known grape-based wines were in the late 4th century BC by Chanakya who chronicled the court’s indulgence in a style of grape that came to be known as Madhu.
In the past 200 years, colonial influences played a major role when winemaking was particularly encouraged during the Portuguese and British colonisation. The Portuguese introduced Port-style wines in Goa and the British further promoted viticulture. But post-independence, the government convinced vineyard owners to switch to growing table grapes and the production of raisins. However it was only decades later, in the 1980s and 1990s that a revival in winemaking and rejuvenation of vineyards began in full earnest. This was quite simply because the middle class had started showing an interest in wine, perhaps due to international influences and the fact that travelling to European destinations had become very trendy.
This period saw the establishment of key wineries and the introduction of modern winemaking. The person who jumps to mind first, the man who pioneered the effort of making wine in India, with great sincerity and passion is Kanwal Grover, founder of Grover Vineyards in Bangalore’s Chamundi Hills. From the 1970s onwards, he invested his time and effort in experimenting in grape varieties, inviting foreign vintners, enhancing his own wine education and then going on to educating the masses on what wine is all about. I was among the early visitors to Kanwal Grover’s winery. I remember with nostalgia, when he took me on a leisurely tour of acres of his land. It was all very exciting in those early days to be walking through an Indian vineyard.
There was also Shamrao Chougule who arrived on the scene creating India’s first sparkling wine which we happily called champagne. It had a grand sounding name; Marquise de Pompadour. As Indians we were so proud that we made our own ‘champagne’.
The sons of these gentlemen, Kapil Grover, and Ranjit & Vikrant Chougule took over the mantle thereafter and got involved in the process and furthered the efforts of their pioneering founder-dads. In present times Grover Zampa as it is now known, produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends under the supervision of French wine consultant Michel Rolland. Chateau Indage was the first wine company to go public in the 1990s.
Rajeev Samant joined the fray in 1996 when he converted his family-owned 20-acre property into a vineyard. Maverick that he is, he took the grape growing and winemaking skills to another level. Thanks to his efforts and vast vineyards, the region started being referred to as the Wine Capital of India, with at least 29 wineries there in place now. Rajeev was not only a passionate winemaker but he had good marketing acumen. His entrepreneurial skills helped put his product, Sula Wines on the world stage. People were drinking Sula wines in restaurants in London!
Not to be left behind, the King of Good Times, Vijay Mallya, who was already in the liquor business – McDowell's and London Pilsner – then made a splash in the world of wine. With vineyards in Baramati, and with Abhay Kewadkar as head, he launched Four Seasons. But since Vijay does whatever he does king-size, he went on to buy a winery in the beautiful Loire Valley of France which did produce some great sparkling wine; Cremant de Loire. As we all know champagne can only be called champagne if it comes out of Champagne. Bouvet Ladubay, it was called. Vijay Mallya had bought it in 2006 which is when I had visited it, but it has since been bought back by the Monmousseau family. Life usually comes back a full circle.
And winemakers like Ashwin Rodrigues went one step further, beginning with Rio's fizzy wine, then going on to introduce sparkling wine like Casablanca and Frizzano, and Good Earth wines, all of which have made drinking vino more accessible to a younger crowd, less expensive and fun!
For now it seems there is no stopping for India. We are on a super wine trail. Driven by increasing domestic consumption and a rising interest in wine culture, many players have joined the fray and are producing wine by the gallons! Fratelli, York, KRSMA Estates, Vallone Vineyards, Reveilo, Soma, Four Seasons, Virgin Hills, Seven Peaks...
When we think of wine, we think of grape liquor, but the industry in India has taken alternative fruit wines – lower in alcohol percentage at 10-15% – under its umbrella as well almost two decades ago. Fruzzante was one of the first to introduce a chikoo wine and now you have well-set brands like Rhythm and Resvera with a variety of flavours like plum, apricot, mango and jamun, to name some. Wildberry Beverages' Charlie, & La Valée's Alurra are strawberry exclusives to compete with!
If India had liquor shops earlier now there are fancy wine shops, some selling only wines. Now you have these attractive wine outlets selling over a 100 Indian wine labels. It would have seemed such an impossible task but from a meagre 5 or 10 labels to 100 is quite an accomplishment. The names are rather interesting too; Les Bouchons, Mansionz, Seasons, Wine Cellar, World of Wines, among others.
Today Indian wine is drunk with pleasure and pride. The future of winemaking and wine drinking in India is certainly bright though the market may be small. Our annual per capita consumption is a mere 9 ml (approximately 1/8000th that of France) but the industry is expected to expand significantly, with a focus both on quality and variety.
According to recent statistics, there are now 10 million Indians who drink wine regularly, and the wine consumption rate has increased in India by 29% in 2022 alone. Furthermore, according to an India Wine Insider (IWI) report, India’s wine market is now estimated to be valued at $238 million.
According to wine and spirits consultancy IWSR, India’s wine market is projected to grow at 10% per annum till 2027. In 2022, India’s consumption of wine by volume increased by a healthy 19% when approximately 37.5 million litres of wine were consumed. Of this, more than 16 million litres were red wine.
There's been a steady improvement in the quality of Indian wines in the last 10-15 years. The availability of imported wine has increased considerably due to a change in government policy. The import duty on wine which used to be 250% has come down to 150%. Another important move from the government which allows premium supermarkets to stock and sell wine and beer, has increased the accessibility of wine.
Cheers to that!