Wine soirées usually involve a lot of empty chatter, polite sips and much preening and pouting. I put on my party face and am prepared to breeze my way through the November evening, in the salubriousness of Bengaluru’s Taj West End, at what was pegged to be India’s biggest wine launch of the last decade.
Kādu (pronounced kaa-du, meaning wild in Kannada), which was launched that evening by Sula Vineyards, the country’s biggest wine maker, is entirely made in Karnataka. For Sula, forever associated with the vineyards of Nasik, this launch signified quite a transition, not the least because the winery where Kādu is being made — the pretty estate of the erstwhile Heritage Vineyards — was bought over by Rajeev Samant earlier this year in what has been the biggest acquisition in the world of Indian wine.
With Kādu — pegged to be India’s first ‘Wine for a Cause’ — Sula has taken up the cause of tiger conservation in the country. The beautiful label, handiwork of renowned label designer Simon Frouws, depicts the magnificent beast in all its glory.
Beyond Sula
Samant bought the beautiful 10 acre winery for an estimated ₹50 crore to make his premium Karnataka wines here. The four varietals: Kādu Chenin Blanc, Kādu Sauvignon Blanc, Kādu Shiraz Rosé and Kādu Cabernet Shiraz (which turns out to be by far my favourite), are going under the Kādu brand, and not Sula, which Samant acknowledges is associated with the backwaters of the Gangapur dam that the verandah of his Nasik home faced in those early years much before it became a tasting room.
Wine, of course, is not just a game of numbers. While deep pockets, and marketing and distribution muscle, helps, smaller, boutique-y labels are more sought after by the discerning, evolved consumer who often sets the tone of trends.
- Kādu Chenin Blanc: delicious, slightly sweet, floral and fruity. 750 ml: ₹625 | 375 ml: ₹340
- Kādu Sauvignon Blanc: delicate aromas and flavours of passion fruit, cut grass and green peppers. 750 ml: ₹675 | 375 ml: ₹365
- Kādu Shiraz Rose: light, fruity and full of luscious berry flavours. 750 ml: ₹650 | 375 ml: ₹350
- Kādu Cabernet Shiraz: lush, medium bodied and peppery with subtle oak. | 750 ml: ₹695 | 375 ml: ₹375
Kādu is important in this context as it takes on some of Sula’s most respected competitors — not just Grover Vineyards, one of India’s oldest wine companies still resting on the reputation of its La Reserve — but also some of the smaller players like Krsma, the quality of whose wines is much talked about.
Sip and save
I am mulling all this with a glass of red in my hand, a smile plastered on my face, while chattering about exciting things such as wine marathons fashionable in different parts of the world (basically, you go running from one winery to the next, drinking wine) and how indeed we can replicate these in India.
There are posters of tigers peering at us from everywhere. We’re told ₹5 from every bottle sold is to go towards tiger conservation. But I think of all this as marketing strategy, until I chance upon Bittu Sahgal, standing in a corner, also sipping on his glass of red.
There’s no small talk with India’s leading tiger conservationist, the man who started Sanctuary Magazine almost four decades ago to help save the national beast. “I have known Rajeev (Samant) since he was nine years old. I knew his family,” he says. It was natural then for Sula to partner with Sahgal’s Sanctuary Foundation, which will channel the funds towards their Mud on Boots programme that empowers conservation efforts at grassroots level in Karnataka’s Bhadra region.
“These are the foot soldiers who carry us all on our shoulders and yet get overlooked by big development agencies,” he points out. Earlier this year, 12 project leaders were chosen regardless of their qualifications or affiliations, and given funds for their conservation attempts. They range from those working to protect the ghariyal to an illiterate goat herd protecting the bustard.
Global causes
While Kādu may be a first, it is not unknown globally for winemakers to support causes that they believe in. The California-based One Hope, for instance, offers different labels, each in support of a different cause, ranging from helping children with autism to ending childhood hunger. The company has donated more than $2 million to a range of charities through its One Hope Foundation. The company is associated with the legendary Mondavi family — its chief consulting winemaker is Rob Mondavi Jr (a great grandson of Robert Mondavi).
Then there is American pro golfer, Cristie Kerr, who launched her own wine in 2009 to spread awareness about breast cancer. She tied up with a Napa/Sonoma based winemaker and launched Curvature Wines, which has been featured on top menus, including White House dinners.
There are also wines supporting wildlife: from turtles to predatory birds. But what may surprise you is that even the behemoth of supermarket Californian wines, Gallo, supports land conservation through Frei Brothers, a company owned by it. Since the 1970s, the company has set aside an acre of untouched land for every acre of coastal California vineyard it has developed — making for an impressive total of more than 6,000 acres.
Kādu wines are available
at 90 outlets in Mangalore, Mysore and Bengaluru