“This is a whisky drinking region. Like everywhere in India, but especially here.”— Hortense Cabouret, Pernod Ricard’s wine ambassador is well aware of the challenges that come with trying to market alcohol, wine in particular, to a city with complicated liquor licensing.
We meet her at a wine and food pairing luncheon at Barracuda Brew, which claims to be the city’s longest bar. Along with chef Mohamed Siddiq, who is serving up a rich six-course meal, she is showcasing Pernod Ricard’s two main wine brands: Jacob’s Creek from Australia and Campo Viejo from Rioja, Spain. “We are also bringing Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel to Chennai in May,” she informs us, “It is finished in aged whisky barrels so it has more texture.”
While Chennai is quite familiar with Jacob’s Creek, Campo Viejo, which has been available here for two years now, is still new in the minds of the consumer, recognises Hortense. “Which is why it is important for us to take the time to explain the wines to the consumers,” she says.
“Sniff, swirl, savour,” she starts with the basics at Barracuda. Chef Siddiq, who prides himself on creating dishes that are South Indian but tweaked for the global palate, has included Brazilian beef with slow grilled peppers, and prawns baked in the pulp of passion fruit and essence of wasabi. We pair the former with Jacob’s Creek Shiraz and the latter with Campo Viejo Tempranillo Blanco-viura.
Main course includes tomato rice with seer fish, and a Persian roast chicken with paprika scented rice. Both are paired with the Campo Viejo Tempranillo Red. “Campo Viejo flavours are more light,” explains Hortense, “The red is easier to drink especially with Indian dishes. It is not so high in tannin. If there is too much tannin in your wine, you can’t pair it with spicy food common to India. It will burn your mouth.”
The Campo Viejo, she adds, is crafted by an all female winemaking team in Rioja, a flagship wine region in Spain. “Campo Viejo pairs nicely with Southeast Asian dishes like coconut curries, and spicy dishes because it offsets the spiciness of the food.”
On the other hand, we pair the Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay with Chef Siddiq’s mushroom and truffle soup. “It is the kind of wine that will go well with creamy Indian dishes, like palak paneer and butter chicken,” she says.
Explaining wines for an Indian setting has been a major part of Hortense’s work here. “I have noticed that people keep red wines at room temperature. That would have been fine in Europe, but here in India, especially in Tamil Nadu, that makes no sense. They have to be stored at 14 to 16 Celsius degrees max.”
Hortense has been in India for five months now, observing the booming wine market. In Chennai, she has been meeting with the staff at hotels like InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Novotel and so on, during the day, and interacting with consumers during the evenings.
Her main goal is to increase visibility, which is why Sula now being available in TASMACs does not bother her much. “Yes, we are competitors but at the same time, we are from the same wine industry. If they are pushing wine consumption, it helps the whole industry,” she says.
