Aman Dhall

Bigger and better would be the right words to describe the delWine Summit and Excellence Awards (dWSEA) that concluded recently in its second edition in New Delhi. Ever since the first edition of India’s “exclusively wine” awards happened in 2016,  the next version of the event was much anticipated, but with the organizers deciding to give 2017 and 2018 a miss, speculation was rife about its version next.

I remember inquiring  Subhash Arora– the founder and key person behind the awards- as to the likely dates of  the next dWEA fixture and  his guarded response was- “only when we are satisfied about fulfilling the event’s evolutionary requirements, will we take a further step’. I could well understand the depth of his statement, given the logistical challenges involved in an exercise of such a magnitude especially in view of India’s less than friendly alcohol laws.

A significant niche of dWSEA lies in its orientation towards individuals and institutions that drive wine rather than wine itself. It doesn’t directly award wines but the hotels, sommeliers and other trade personnel who work closely with wine on a day to day basis.

The day finally arrived this 21st April at the Pullman Hotel New Delhi as dWSEA not only replicated the success of its maiden edition but also expanded its ambit with the first of its kind India Wine Summit that featured industry leaders and achievers like Ravi Viswanathan , Wine Investor and Chairman Grover Zampa Vineyards; Aman Dhall (Brindco) and Arun Kumar (Aspri), prominent Indian importers; Sonal Holland , India’s first and only Master of Wine; Tristan Beau de Lomenie General Manager Pullman and Novotel Hotels; and Loic Pasquet, owner of  Bordeaux’s famed and one of the most expensive wines “Liber Pater”. Leading food journalist Sourish Bhattacharya who is also the co-founder of dWEA was at the helm of the proceedings right since the beginning.

delWine Summit

Debuting this year, was the delWine Summit with its theme as “The Game Changer”.   The summit featured stimulating discussions on Industry issues like “Opportunities and Impediments for International Wines”, “The State of Wine Training: Are We Still Talent Crunched?” and “Industry-Government Interface: Regulatory Challenges for the Indian Wine Sector”.

As panelists brought out the various pros and cons of the wine business in India, the audience lapped up the knowledge that literally came “from the horses’ mouth”. The attendance at the Summit though was relatively lower than should have been but on a positive note it is a beginning well made, if one goes by the enthusiasm generated by the debut Summit.

The Awards

Continuing with its quest to recognize wine industry and hospitality achievers, a major highlight of dWSEA was the Awards function that felicitated the winners. At the forefront was the Women of Wine (WOW) Awards that recognized 10 top women in India who have made extraordinary contributions to the wine industry. The awardees come from diverse functional areas such as wine making, wine sales and marketing, imports, retail and wine education. Arora informed that the journalistic domain was kept out of the purview of the WOW awards this year- the focus being more towards “hands-on” kind of roles.

Click here for more information on WOW winners

The other awards followed, including the Hall of Fame award which went to Rajeev Samant, Founder and CEO of Sula Vineyards and AD Singh, Managing Director of  the Olive Hospitality Group.

Click here to view all the nominations and awards at dWSEA 2019

Wine Divine

Inarguably the best wine sampling opportunity in India, a major attraction at the dWSEA has been its “World of Wines Showcase”.  A vast range of India’s domestic as well as imported wines were offered for tasting at dWSEA 2019, giving a good idea of the range of wines available in the country.

Apart from the top 3 Indian producers viz. Sula, Grover and Fratelli, wines from major importers- Brindco, Aspri, Prestige, Agnetta, Wine Park, Gusto, Hema Connoisseur Collections, VBev and Ace Beveragez formed a part of the “wine promenade” at the expansive Peacock Ballroom of the hotel.The Best Stand of the Evening award went to La Cave by Brindco– that had put up magnificent façades at separate enclosures  for New World and Old World wines from their portfolio.

The awards night concluded with an elaborate buffet spread that made for an infinite number of wine and food pairings , limited only by one’s imagination. The thoughtfulness of the hotel in providing plate clamps for holding the wine glasses made it very convenient to move around and try out the various pairing options.

With the next edition of dWSEA already announced for 30 Apr 2020, it would be worthwhile to mark your calendar  if you happen to be around New Delhi at that time.

For more information on dWSEA, visit the event official site here 

Let’s face it. The ease of drinking beer is unparalleled in the world of beverages. That’s why “chugging beer” is such a popular phrase. But mind you; approachable it may be, the world of beer can also be full of complexities that could at times put even a snooty wine to unease. With humungous choices of beer across the world, this is well nigh impossible.

India, of late, has woken up to the beer phenomenon like never before. From just a few “plain Jane” options until a few years back, the country has witnessed a craft beer revolution of sorts- at least in the major cities. The latest one to hop on this bandwagon is Hopper- an authentic Belgian craft beer that comes from the 124-year-old Brouwerij (Brewery) De Brabandere located in Bavikhove, Belgium.

So, what’s new about Hopper?

Hopper is not as simple as another beer imported in India. It is the result of a partnership between Brindco– India’s prominent alcoholic beverages importer and the Brouwerij De Brabandere. Together, they have developed the beer by perfecting a 100 year old recipe that was handed down five generations of the  De Brabandere family. Even the bottle design of the beer is bespoke, inspired by traditional Gothic architecture. The beer is available in two variants- a Witbier and a Blonde, in retail as well as on the tap in bars/restaurants.

Witbier

Dutch for “white beer” it is named so for its usually turbid appearance due to it being unfiltered. It is a Belgian style Ale with a high level of wheat, and sometimes oats content. Witbier is mostly spiced, generally with coriander and orange peel.

Blonde

A generic reference to a pale coloured beer, often clear, crisp, and dry.  A Blonde beer can come as both an Ale (top fermented) or Lager (bottom fermented).

Aman Dhall, the owner of Brindco and Co-founder Hopper, is known for his penchant for details. Before Hopper arrived on the Indian shores, he went around Brouwerij De Brabandere, understanding its ethos and experiencing all the steps of production processes. It was only when he was satisfied with the right fit of the brew for the Indian market that he decided to go full throttle. Going by the initial response at the launch, he may  feel encouraged already.

Famously launched

At the expansive lawns of the Belgian Ambassador’s residence in New Delhi, Aman and his wife Madhulika Dhall (also the head of Brindco’s retail arm La Cave Fine Wines and Spirits) enthusiastically received the guests even as copious amounts of Hopper did the rounds. Ambassador François Delhaye highlighted the prominence of his country in producing a vast range of beers (more than a dozen styles and 1000 brands) and welcomed the gathering.

For the launch event, the brewery’s 5th generation Albert De Brabandere and Head  Brewmaster Chris Van Acker flew down specially to interact first hand with beer aficionados. They passionately answered queries ranging from the technical to historical. A live band pepped up the evening and food stations buzzed with action all through the evening.

The Variants

(Both the variants are priced at approx ₹ 150/-  in retail across major Indian cities. Also available on tap in bars/restaurants)

Hopper Witbier

The USP of Hopper Witbier is in its full body and smoothness. The beer pours with a dense foam and comes across as extremely refreshing. Its citrus and coriander nuances accentuate the freshness factor well. According to the producer, the brew for their Witbier is fermented for 7 days and matured for 25 days, making it round and smooth.

Hopper Blonde

The producer specifies this as a “true Belgian lager” made with 100% malt. Hopper Blonde is clean, crisp and refreshing with a long finish.  The high-quality hops are evident in the beer with well-integrated floral aromas. The blonde version is fermented for 8 days and matured for 30 days.

Which one is for you?

At the launch event, opinion on preference was divided between the two variants. But there was a slight tilt in favour of the Witbier, apparently because Indians have consumed lagers for long whereas wheat beers are still considered a novelty. If you set aside the novelty aspect, I would recommend the lager with food for its palate cleansing capabilities, and the Witbier as a thirst quencher for parched palates. Of course, there would be several more ways in which you could enjoy these beers.

Chugging being one of them.

Coravin- the world’s most fancied wine gadget has arrived in India. And it is brought in by none other than Brindco – the country’s leading wine importer. For a gadget that was launched in 2013 and already present in more than 50 countries it may appear a delayed entry, but considering India’s early stages of wine evolution, Coravin’s arrival can be considered very much timely.

My first brush with Coravin was in 2016 at the Austrian wine fair VieVinum in Vienna. The device evoked my inquisitiveness, largely incumbent on my engineering background. However, I realized soon that unless one went into the aspects of metallurgy and atomic valencies, the functioning of Coravin was pretty simple to understand. Isn’t that what technology is supposed to do? Make life easier for average consumers.

Simple as 1-2-3

So what does Coravin exactly do? To put it verbatim in Coravin’s terms:

The Coravin System is a wine access tool that allows the desired quantity of any wine, from any bottle to be poured and enjoyed by the glass, without uncorking. By preserving the wine with the patented Coravin technology, the remaining wine is kept unspoiled and in pristine condition.

Coravin does so in three simple steps:

1. A fine hollow medical grade needle pierces the cork closure (or a Coravin cap for screwcap bottles) and injects Argon- a harmless inert gas- into the bottle.

2. The pressure created within the bottle pushes wine out through the same needle. When the desired amount of wine is poured, the needle is withdrawn and the gas is left in place to prevent oxidation.

3. The cork reseals itself naturally and the wine does not aerate, meaning any amount of the wine can be tasted at any point and the last glass will taste just as good as the first.

This is how Coravin works

But the engineering devil in me was hard to satisfy. Why Argon? Why not another inert gas like Krypton or Xenon? I am sure similar questions would have come to Coravin inventor Greg Lambrecht’s mind when he was developing the system. It turned out so, that Argon is by far the most easy and economical to produce as compared to other inert gases. And price is certainly a factor for a product being developed to be sold in the market.

An inert gas ensures non reactivity with wine while at the same time protecting it from contact with oxygen, as oxidation is the main enemy of wine.

Lambrecht, a versatile proponent of physics, nuclear power and medical engineering combined his expertise in technology and love of wine to create Coravin. In his words – “the Coravin Wine System can be enjoyed in numerous settings, with restaurants and bars embracing the technology that allows wine-by-the-glass programs to expand without fear of wasted wine. Diners and wine drinkers can also enjoy a wider selection of premium wines and can pair multiple bottles with their meal, instead of committing to just one bottle.”

Significance of Coravin’s Import in India

As Aman Dhall, the suave Chef d’Entreprise of Brindco demonstrated the product during its launch in New Delhi, I felt relieved learning that I didn’t end up buying the product in Vienna , as it would have entailed confiscation by Indian customs- Argon gas being listed as ‘hazardous’ in the country. Needless to say, the device would have been useless without the gas capsules.

The import of Coravin in India hence becomes even more significant as now people can buy a functional system legally in the country. Given the notorious reputation of Indian bureaucracy, getting a green flag for import was steeply uphill as Aman informed that they had to obtain clearances from several ministries of the Indian Government before the equipment could land in the country!

The most significant advantage of Coravin’s import in India is that you can buy the device and its expendables legally in the country without worrying about the expendables running out.

The launch event

The India launch of Coravin happened at The Lodhi, New Delhi – a destination which has recently been named as the top hotel in Asia and number 2 in the world by the Condé Nast Readers Travel Awards 2017. The wines to serve the demonstration too, added to the charm.   Who would complain of accessing a Pouilly Fuisse and a Barolo at a demonstration just to showcase the capabilities of Coravin?

Aman along with Madhulika Bhattacharya Dhall a.k.a. Madame LaCave, who spearheads the La Cave Fine Wine Store, Brindco’s retail arm where Coravin is available, demonstrated the device and encouraged all attendees to try their hands at it. We did so with glee, reaping the rewards of our effort by relishing the delightful wines. An exquisite food pairing spread ensured that the wines didn’t  feel alone.

To Coravin or not to Coravin?

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, so let us take this question contextually. Sometime back, I had written a post on this blog discussing the merits and demerits of buying a premium range of glassware. It concluded that price was not the only consideration when customers bought a niche product of its domain. Same applies here too. In a nutshell, Coravin  is likely to find favour with people who regularly open good wines but are compelled to expend them fully, even if they would want to save them for later.  Some typical scenarios where one would like to use Coravin would be:

#1 High Value Wines

The main premise of Coravin is to be able to access a wine without affecting its cellar life, and the longest lived wines are invariably high valued. If you could enjoy a cherished wine on more than one occasion without having to worry about bottoming it, your dexterity for savouring the wine would surely go up manifold.

#2 More wines less people

How many wines do you open for a group of say- four friends at a five course paired dinner? Most likely five. Even in case of three wines (if you are repeating wines across courses) it means that the bottles have to be expended soon. With Coravin, you can get over that hurdle and preserve your wines for yet another round of wine bonhomie.

#3  Prized, not necessarily pricey wines

A wine I recently opened was Hardys Stamp Collection Merlot autographed and presented to me by none other than Bill Hardy himself! Despite being an inexpensive wine, it was one of my most cherished possessions that I would have liked to share with some true blue wine friends, who would be excited about it the same way I was. Since it was unlikely that all vino friends would be available en masse to share the wine, Coravin could definitely have helped in preserving it across multiple sittings.

#4  Wines by the glass in restaurants

Many restaurants across the world have already started using Coravin systems to expand their ‘wine by the glass’ offerings. As compared to static and bulky wine dispensing and preservation systems, Coravin’s portability makes it possible to serve the customer right at his table , with the wine being poured out in full view.

#5  Storage space considerations

You have cellaring space for sealed bottles but what about the ones that have been opened but not exhausted? The most common approach in such cases is to store the partially opened bottles in the fridge. Unless you have a dedicated refrigeration space for wine bottles, this approach is fraught with problems like ambient aromas, space limitation etc. With Coravin you could just put the bottle back in the cellar like it was resting  earlier.

Coravin Models in India

All models of Coravin essentially perform the same function i.e. dispense wine from a sealed bottle using the same mechanism. From the initial model launched in 2013, a lot of refinements have taken place in its build, accessories and needle engineering. In the recent models, a thinner hollow needle now offers more output of wine per unit of time.

(Sequentially) Model 1, Model 2 and Model 2 Elite

Coravin Model 1 ( ₹ 21,624)
Available in blue/white combo. Includes two premium Coravin capsules.

Coravin Model 2 (₹ 29,496)
Sports a modern look with a dark graphite finish. Includes two premium Coravin capsules.

Coravin Model 2 Elite (₹ 32,150)
Available in three distinctive colors- red, gold and silver, all with chrome finish. Each includes two premium Coravin capsules.

Coravin Capsules  (approx ₹ 1500 for two) One capsule lasts upto 15 glasses of 150 ml pour each.

Click here to know more details on usage and maintenance of Coravin wine access systems

Penfolds- Australia’s iconic wine brand has been in India for several years now. But it’s grand coming in the country happened just recently with it’s fresh alignment with Brindco– the top importer of the country. This synergy is likely to catapult Penfolds into the next rung of wine success, given Brindco’s firm grip over the wine market in India.

Sam Stephens, Brand Ambassador  Penfolds, who arrived specially for a multi city relaunch of his wines was upbeat at the fresh alignment. Fresh from high profile events and dinners in Bangalore and Mumbai, Sam mixed around with wine lovers, trade and media in New Delhi at the resplendent Bikaner House, a heritage building built in early twentieth century to house the royals of the erstwhile princely state of Bikaner. Only this time it was splashed with  red,  in sync with the brand’s ubiquitous identity. Yodi Mootoosamy, Regional Sales Director- Emerging Markets Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) – the umbrella organization that owns Penfolds brand, was in attendance as well.

Five wines from Penfolds stable  (details towards the end) were fielded at the launch event. Coupled with several courses whipped up by One Fine Meal– a Delhi based fine catering concern, the event literally put the pairings in the delighted guests’ mouths. The images below silently narrate the soirée.

The Penfolds Story

Foundation

The world of wine is replete with fascinating stories and Penfolds is surely one such inspiring tale. It all started in 1844 when Christopher Rawson Penfold (1811-1870), a medical practitioner from Brighton, England, and his wife Mary- both of them passionate vinos- arrived in South Australia and purchased a plot of land in Adelaide. They  planted with the root stalks from back home in what is now famous as Magill Estate–  Penfolds headquarters which is barely a few kilometres away from the Adelaide Central Business District.

Initially starting with fortified wines Penfolds’ stature quickly grew and by 1907 it became South Australia’s largest winery. Throughout its history, Penfolds has owned and leased vineyards in addition to sourcing grapes from independent growers. The company has vineyards spread all over South Australia viz. Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa and Eden Valley.

The Grange Story

But the most defining moment for Penfolds current standing in the world came with an experiment that created its flagship wine Grange. The person central to this experiment was Penfolds first Chief Winemaker Max Schubert who joined the company as a messenger boy in 1931. In 1948, at the age of 33, Schubert became Penfolds’ first Chief Winemaker.

It was in 1950 that Schubert was sent to Europe to investigate winemaking practices in Spain & Portugal. On a side trip to Bordeaux, he became inspired by the French style of wines  and started dreaming of making ‘something different and lasting’ of his own.

Back in Adelaide, Schubert set about looking for appropriate ‘raw material’ and discovered Shiraz as his grape of choice. Combining traditional Australian techniques with his knowledge acquired in Europe, he made his first experimental wine, which to his disappointment did not find favour with the Penfolds management.

Not to be discouraged, Max continued to craft his Grange vintages in secret, hiding three vintages ’57, ’58 and ’59, in the depths of his cellars. His optimism eventually paid, with the Penfolds board ordering the  production of Grange, just in time for the 1960 vintage. Three decades later, he was vindicated as the 1990 vintage of Grange was named Wine Spectator’s Red Wine of the Year.  Awards have ever since become a norm for this ‘prestige cuvée’ of Penfolds. So much so, that in 2008, Grange won a perfect score of 100 points by two of the world’s most influential wine magazines- Wine Spectator and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Advantage Brindco

So what is significant in making the fresh alliance in India? Stephens is quite upfront in accepting that it is only now that they have aligned with the right partner who can truly realize their aspirations in the  promising Indian market for wine. Aman Dhall, the Chef d’Entreprise  of Brindco has similar thoughts. Dhall brings out that the addition of Penfolds in their portfolio also brings  better synergy within other TWE brands with them viz. Rawson’s Retreat, Rosemount Estate and Lindeman’s .

Turbo Charging through La Cave

But there is another ace up Brindco’s sleeve to enhance the value proposition offered to brands like Penfolds. It is the forward integration with  their in-house retail venture “La Cave”  spearheaded by  Madame LaCave née Madhulika Bhattacharya, who is also Dhall’s wife. Madhulika’s penchant to connect with consumers through initiatives like Unwined by LaCave dinners, Fine Wine Affair and an effective social media outreach are being well received in the wine circles of India, providing the desired stimulant to popularise wine culture in the country.

Wines at the Launch Event

(Retail Prices indicated ex Delhi)

As informed by Madhulika,  Grange is available in limited numbers, hence allocated on special demand. The other labels though are  freely available in retail in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Autumn Riesling 2014 (₹ 2620, 92.5% Riesling 7.5% Traminer, Alc 12%)

An expressive nose of white flowers and citrus fruits. Good acidity yet plump on the palate. A good conversation starter.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2015 (₹ 1660, Alc 13.5%)

Fresh aromas of citrus fruits and white flowers. Refreshing palate with tropical fruit flavours. Good with sea food and grilled cuisine.

Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro 2014 (₹ 2900, 82% Shiraz, 18 % Mataro, Alc 14.5%, )

Aromas of black cherries and mixed herbs. Juicy with an appreciable structure. Would go famously with charcuterie.

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2014 (₹ 5410, Alc 14.5%)

Inky with ripe aromas of black berries and a hint of smoke. Robust and dense on the palate. Barbecued food will accompany this wine well.

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (₹ 11490, Alc 14.5%)

Refined aromas of black fruits and spice. Savoury on the palate. Lots of power under the hood. Grilled and seared meats will give this wine its due.

“It takes a thousand small steps to make our wines” – these words of Bruce Cakebread summarise his enterprise’s passion behind winemaking.  Bruce, the President and COO of Cakebread Cellars, was in India this February to “meet new friends over a glass of wine”. At a dinner organized by  La Cave Fine Wines and Spirits store  that exclusively stocks the Cakebread Cellars wines in Delhi, Bruce mingled with one and all with natural ease, thanks to his familiarity with India. I was quick to whisk him aside for an exclusive  tête-a-tête even before the first guest for the evening arrived and the first of the Champagnes were sabred.

About Cakebread Cellars

One of the foremost wineries of the famed Napa Valley in California,  Cakebread Cellars was established in 1973 by Bruce’s parents Jack and Dolores Cakebread with a casual initiation. They were out on a photographic expedition, shooting  for Nathan Chroman’s “Treasury of American Wines” when the sight of  Sturdivant Ranch in Rutherford took them in, and they ended up buying property.  It was not long before they planted their first Sauvignon Blanc vines in the estate and the edifice of Cakebread Cellars was established..

After more than 40 years and several harvests later, Cakebread Cellars now own properties located throughout Napa Valley and a location in the Anderson Valley. Its 13 sites span 1100 acres of real estate, 560 acres of which are currently planted.  Jack and Dolores continue to lead the company with Bruce and his brother Dennis playing active roles in the family business.

Bruce joined his family business in 1979 and has overseen several of its milestones. Having first studied Pomology (tree fruits) at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, he switched over to the Viticulture and Enology program at the University of California at Davis consequent to his decision to enter the family business.

After working alongside his father since the winery was founded in 1973, Bruce assumed the winemaking position in 1979, overseeing all vineyard operations and winemaking duties until 2002 when he became president and COO.

Bruce is currently the President of the Napa Valley College Foundation Board, serves on the Viticulture and Enology Executive Leadership Board at UC Davis, is an alternate on the Napa County Flood Control District, and is past President of the Board of Napa Valley Vintners Association, serving in 2010 and in 2013.

My Conversation with Bruce Cakebread

This is your umpteenth time in India. What changes do you notice in particular?

The most significant change that I notice is the proliferation of standalone fine dining restaurants in the country. During my first visit to India 10 years ago, I came across only one such restaurant. Now there are so many options that you are actually spoilt for choices.

Another change that I notice in the country is the large scale proliferation of social media, which is empowering businesses and consumers alike.

A hot topic related to the United States today is the immigration policy enforced by the Trump administration, which is said to be discriminatory towards migrant workers. Does it affect your workforce? If yes then how are you coping with it?

The latest work force restrictions have undoubtedly affected us in terms of finding good qualified labour. This is a problem not just for us but the overall agricultural sector in the US. However the issue is not something that has sprung up during Trump’s tenure- being alive since the previous regimes too. I believe that Governments need to come forward to resolve this issue on priority.

Majority of our workers come from Mexico. They work during summer and fall, thereafter going back to their families across the border. This back and forth movement has to be safe for all, which is clearly not so in the present day.  It is a challenging proposition but has to be done.

On our part, we have tried to overcome the work force problem by mechanizing many of our vineyard operations. For example during the pre-pruning, we use machines to tear and brush off the trellis of redundant portions of vines, thereby completing 75% of the work. Though a human  is required to operate the machine, the overall manpower requirement has been drastically reduced . Similarly we are looking at optimizing other labour intensive jobs.

Which would be these measures?

The possibilities are endless. This year, we plan to spray vineyards through drones rather than a person physically venturing with a backpack.We can also have driver less tractors in the farms akin to the concept of driver less cars.

Use of modern technology versus the old school thought of sticking to artisanal practices has been an issue of debate since long . What is your take on that? Going further, what is the general orientation of the US wine industry in this respect?

Wherever processes become faster and  efficient, keeping quality intact, I am all for co-opting technology in vineyard operations. At Cakebread Cellars, we continuously adapt measures that improve our products and processes. For example we pick the grapes at night to get the fruit ice cold, whereby we don’t have to spend energy  chilling it. The hand picking crew too, is more comfortable working during cooler night time, enabling them to work for longer and hence earning more money. It is also good for the quality of wine which turns out more age worthy. All of these factors offer a win-win situation viz. improved wine,enhanced crew comfort and better efficiency.

In the US, particularly in the Napa valley, San Francisco and Bay area, people are liberal and open to innovation. This is probably why the Silicon Valley landed in the Bay area. These are the areas where you can expect a fresh Salmon or Cod from the Pacific coast prepared in an Asian way. It exhibits a keenness of wineries to experiment pairings with different cuisines, which in turn makes the appeal of their wines global.

You studied pomology before venturing into viticulture and oenology. How handy did your background with tree fruits come in the vineyards?

Just understanding agriculture is a good start because it helps you in adapting to a particular season. Bio diversity in vineyards is undoubtedly an important parameter in vineyard ecology.

A lot of growers will try to analyse the last year’s problems and attempt to fix them in the current season. However if you plan to play poker with mother nature, the deck is often going to change. Hence one has to look at present issues, rather than  dwelling in the past. A good understanding of agriculture facilitates applying focus on grapevines with the overall consideration of bio diversity all around.To that effect, I feel that my exposure with tree fruits has been an added skill.

When the infamous phylloxera struck in 1989, American rootstocks turned saviours for many. But I believe your vineyards also suffered the phylloxera scourge. Does that mean that you were not using American rootstock in those days?

During the phylloxera era,  most of California was planted with AXR-1, a cross between native American rootstock and a French species.  AXR-1 was easy to grow , graft and was quite drug tolerant. You could grow it on hills, valleys and pretty much everywhere. However it did not turn out phylloxera resistant and that compelled us to deconstruct as to how California could miss the details despite there being an  evidence of  a research on the subject in South Africa in the 1960s . But obviously in those times information was not as easily available as in the Internet era.

In Napa valley, the initial outbreak of phylloxera was localized but was aggravated due to a big flood in 1986 that moved a lot of soil around. Everyone was replanting and we took an aggressive stance to replant our entire vineyards sooner than later. We signed up 5 year contracts with growers who could take it to the banks and get loans to replant-  which otherwise was a very expensive proposition. All these efforts saw sudden jump in the fruit quality vis-à-vis the AXR-1 rootstalk.  It put Napa faster on the world wine map that if we had waited for the old AXR vines to peter out. So phylloxera eventually worked to our benefit (smiles).

Certain Cakebread Cellars wines have intriguing names such as Rubaiyat and Vaca. What are they all about?

Rubaiyat, inspired from Omar Khaiyyam’s famous compilation of poems, began as our effort to evolve a light red wine from individual leftover quantities of Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir- each of them quite good by themselves too. It was a typical jugaad (Indian word for functionality oriented innovation) , something intended to be sold in the winery. Our first release itself saw a couple of hundred people turn up and the wine became quite popular with our customers in the winery. We change the blend composition of this wine  every year.

Vaca (Spanish for cow) on the other hand derives its name from the Vaca mountain range which forms the eastern boundary of the Napa valley, the Mayacamas range forming the west. On this 35-40 miles long range we have our Dancing Bear Ranch in the north, Doggwood Vineyard in the south and Suscol Springs Vineyard further southwards. We made red Bordeaux style blends from these three vineyards with an aim to show off the potential of the Vaca range since not many wineries have these many vineyards on that range.

On a somewhat similar thought, we also introduced a wine in 2012 called Guajolote (Spanish for wild turkey pronounced Gua-ho-lotey) which comes from our vineyard populated with lots of wild turkey. It is a blend of five varietals viz. Grenache, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

(L-R) Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Rs. 9440, Sauvignon Blanc, Rs. 5990 and Cabernet Sauvignon Rs. 13410

When we talk of varietal blends in the ‘new world’ , does it imply that the “new world” wines are eventually going the “old world” way? Something also highlighted by the Bordeaux style blends called “Meritage” in the US.

The phenomenon of Meritage  started well but faded away gradually. Nevertheless, we have seen several red, as well as white  in the US  fuelled primarily by the demand generated by Gen X-ers and millennials, who are interested in experimenting with newer wines. As a contrast, the baby boomer generation who started drinking wine 40 to 50 years ago, has been more inclined towards varietal wines.

Speaking of drinking demographies, do you find any similarities between a wine drinker in the US with his/her counterpart in India?

Much like India, US wasn’t essentially a wine drinking nation. There are many similarities in the evolution of wine  in both nations- only difference being the time horizon.

In the present day US, baby boomers (my generation) are more stable about their wine choices and are moving up the quality ladder. Gen X-ers are transitioning from spirits to wine as well as craft beers, which are growing like crazy. Millennials on the other hand are experimenting with a lot of different things. My impression is that as one is getting older, he/she is more inclined towards wine than spirits.

The other interesting aspect is that while baby boomers had to learn about wine, later generations have grown up with wine on the table, making it an important part of the culture. This is how both The US and India are learning wine and going along.

Dinner with Bruce Cakebread