“Are you familiar with the Breezer? We are creating something that has a similar concept, but with wine as its base,” says Ravi Viswanathan, director, Grover Zampa Vineyards, when asked about his upcoming product, carbonated wine.
Cool, fresh, and sparkling, are the three words he uses to describe what the vineyard is aiming for with this new development. He believes it will suit the millennial market of alcohol consumers in India, which is a new market that Zampa is tapping into. “We do have competitors doing similar things. The product exists in various forms and combinations (of spirits), but not with wine. Our thing is that we work with quality wine, and natural flavours.”
Yes, there will be added flavours in carbonated wine. Viswanathan breaks it down. “We take the base wine and remove the wine taste. Then we add flavours — typically orange or cranberry, since these are popular. Next, a little water is added to dilute it to 8% alcohol, as opposed to wine which has 13 to14%. Then carbonation, to give it some fizz.”
Seasoned wine drinkers, who can appreciate a good bouquet, probably will not be drawn to such a product, he admits. “It is mainly for the young, party crowd. People who are accustomed to classic wines may not appreciate it much, except in particular circumstances. For example, if it is a hot summer afternoon and you are outdoors, you will not exactly want a glass of shiraz with your lunch. You might prefer something cooler and more refreshing, not all that alcoholic, which tastes similar to wine.”
Plans for this new product come on the heels of three acquisitions by Zampa in the past two months: Bengaluru-based Four Seasons Wines, Bengaluru-headquartered Myra Vineyards, and the Nashik-based Charosa Vineyards. The firm’s plans with these takeovers is to not only revive old, once-loved brands such as Golconda, but also to promote and educate its client base about terroir.
“Going forward, in all our wineries, there will be a range of limited-edition, estate-bottled wines. Small plots, unique terroir,” states Viswanathan.
Terroir, or natural, environmental factors such as soil and topography which makes the taste of wine in any particular region unique, will be at the heart of this new line of products, which, unlike carbonated wines, will be aspirational. “They will be premium products, priced anywhere between ₹1,500 to ₹5,000,” says Viswanathan. “We are putting extraordinary effort into them, importing specialised equipment, retaining the unique tastes and comparing them.”
Usually, wine is fermented in large tanks for commercial production and grape from multiple plots are mixed in. They are usually steel tanks, unlike the cement ones that Zampa is bringing in. “The taste is better in a cement tank,” explains Vishwanathan “And it keeps the wine cool, which is an added advantage in a country like India.”
