India’s pioneering winemaker Grover Zampa Vineyards (GZV) has literally pushed the pedal to the floor. The country’s second biggest and the most awarded winemaker has been scaling things up like never before. Those who have followed the company for the past one year plus, would recollect the winemaker’s headline-worthy acquisition of Chateau d’Etroyes last year in Burgundy, France. But that’s not all. Back home, GZV has consolidated the Indian winemaking space by acquiring Myra, Four Seasons and Charosa vineyards- all of them in a space of their own.
At the centre of this spate of acquisitions is the top management overhaul at GZV with investment banker Ravi Viswanathan, a French citizen of Indian origin- also the largest stakeholder of the company- assuming the reins as its new Chairman. It is worthwhile to mention that last year, GZV had also elevated their erstwhile COO Vivek Chandramohan as the new CEO as the previous incumbent moved on . All these changes have translated into a great deal of freshness in the company and the effect has already started showing.
A Revamped Winery and Visitor Centre
GZV recently invited media and enthusiasts to visit their revamped winery at Nandi Hills near Bangalore. The occasion also saw the launch of two new wines from their stable- one a Sparkling “Prestige Cuvée” under their acclaimed La Réserve label and the other an eponymous Vendanges Tardives- the first dessert wine in their portfolio. I was one of the privileged few to be invited to this day long engagement that entailed tastings, interactions and the launch gala itself.
On an early May morning, I with my fellow wine media flew off to Bangalore and travelled by road to their picturesque winery marked by lush greenery, waterbodies and a newly refurbished complex that houses a state-of-the-art tasting lounge. At a time when most of India is braving high temperatures, it was a welcome change to be at the place and this pleasantness set the tone for the proceedings of the day that lay ahead.
Globetrotting Payoffs
First on agenda during our visit was a tour of the winery, but before that I stole some moments to have a quick chat with Chandramohan to understand their activities that have been shaping the state of affairs at GZV. Ever since he took over as the CEO, Chandramohan has been relentlessly travelling across the globe in his quest to find the best practices, equipment and grape varietals to realise the full potential of the Indian terroir. Thus came about Qvevris from Georgia, Vertical Hydraulic Presses, Optical Grape Sorters and Ceramic Egg Shaped Fermentation Vessels that obviate the need for remontage (pumping wine to the top). We could see all of these first hand during our tour of the winery.
It was impressive to see a great deal of research being undertaken at GZV that aims at yielding wines unheard in the Indian scenario till now. GZV’s acclaimed Viticulturist Manjunath VG and his deputy Akshay Baboo (who has joined them recently) have been working steadfastedly with esoteric varietals like Saperavi and several others that remain classified as not to be disclosed for now.
According to Manjunath, these trials will take a couple of years before arriving at a concrete decision to make wines with them sustainably. Consumers can hence expect to find a diverse range of new GZV wines being launched in the near future. During our winery tour, we tasted barrel as well as Qvevri samples of wines that gave us an idea of the things to follow.
Going a step further and to cater to the millennial generation, GZV will also soon be launching a wine based RTD beverage initially to be introduced in Southern India, followed by the North later.
The Two New Wines
La Réserve Brut Royale (INR 2000 for 750 ml) and Vendanges Tardives ((INR 1750 for 375 ml) are the two new wines that can be safely called the harbingers of other exciting launches anticipated in the GZV stable in the coming times. Building up on the brand value of their La Réserve label, La Réserve Brut Royale is a 100% Chenin Blanc Sparkler partly fermented in barrels and aged for more than 30 months. Chenin Blanc as a varietal is widely recognized for its suitability to India and GZV have thus far been making a 100% Chenin Blanc under their Zampa Soirée label. La Réserve Brut Royal adds further to their repertoire by having a Prestige Cuvée of sorts in the sparkling genre.
Vendanges Tardives (meaning Late Harvest in French) is a 100% Viognier based dessert wine that has finally bridged the gap in that genre in the GZV portfolio. The wine comes in a packaging of 375 ml and its cylindrical bottle is reminiscent of a Canadian ice wine. This wine also marks GZV’s willingness to go “out of the box” as a Viognier based dessert wine is hard to come across. At the time of the tasting, both the new wines were available at their cellar door, to be introduced in the market shortly thereafter.
Befor Viswanathan formally launched the new wines towards the evening, a tasting masterclass by India’s first and only Master of Wine Sonal Holland provided a detailed glimpse of both wines in full throttle. The occasion also saw the new vintage of Insignia– their Prestige Cuvée Red wine that was earlier available in Magnum and Double Magnum sizes being served from the now available Standard bottle as well.
Tourism on the Horizon
Chandramohan disclosed that the next big diversification of GZV is going to be in the hospitality space with an eye on the growing wine tourism in India. In their 36 acres facility at Nashik, they are working on a restaurant having both indoors and al fresco settings. There will also be a barbeque speciality restaurant at the mezzanine level and a cliffhanger bar that will offer breathtaking views all around. The biggest attraction however will be 60 super premium all-glass chalets that have been designed by Bangalore based architects. The chalets will offer a 180-degree views of the beauteous Sahyadri Hills complete with its lakes and valleys. The facility is likely to be operational in September this year and by November GZV plans to invite selected guests to preview it.
