It doesn?t matter whether you are a social or an avid drinker or don?t even touch the stuff, chances are you still know of that famous brand, Moet & Chandon. Unfortunately, an equally high probability persists to how you possibly mispronounce the shortened form of this brand, ?Moet?, as ?moye? as opposed to ?mo-ett?, as it should be. We?ll forgive you on that for now, but you are allowed to think that maybe this is why when these champagne giants decided to launch their spirited new bubbly?s Indian avatar, they decided to go with the name Chandon so as to avoid any such faux pas (and here, I am sincerely hoping that one knows how to pronounce faux pas!).
Probably the most recognised wine brand (not just champagne) in the world is a leader in the wine industry in many ways. They have always believed that good taste is to be shared and made available. In-keeping with the great philosopher Bentham?s philosophy of the ?greatest good for greatest numbers?, LVMH, the owning company of Moet, has launched sparkling wines in several parts of the world, bringing their champagne expertise to various winemaking regions and then using it to work with local crops to fashion a wine that is, at once, reminiscent of their famous bubbly from Epernay, as also an expression of the best of local terroir.
They did this in California, then somewhere down the line, Brazil and Argentina followed and finally there was Australia. India is the fifth country to have this winemaking JV endowed upon them and the first in Asia. Feels good to beat China at something finally, although, they, too, will have their own Chandon coupe soon enough.
I was privy to the tastings and launch and, discounting the pomp and splendour of the party, this is indeed a very good product. I?d go out on a limb to say this is the first world-class sparkling wine to come out of the country and other winemakers better watch out. Here are a few points as to what it means for the local wine industry as also the consumer:
1. Sparkling wine will now grow: For long, sparkling wines have been a small category in the larger scheme of things. Now, things may stand to change as people take their celebrations more seriously. What will follow next are large-size bottle formats to adorn every wedding function in the country. At last count, there aren?t as many bottles of bubbly produced in India in total as there can be weddings on one given auspicious date!
2. Nashik taint is not terroir: That odd burnt-rubber smell that could be found in most wines coming from Nashik, the one that almost made me believe that it was and remains a lost cause to even venture forth with winemaking in the region in the first place, is not an inherent trait, it is a winemaking fault, a flaw that Chandon has successfully eliminated. Most other wineries need to take a page from their book (which, in India, means try and poach an employee) to learn how to do it right. Going by what I had gathered during my talks with their winemaking team, it could be due to some spray that should have been confined to the stems, but due to careless usage, makes its way into the grapes and leads to that awful aftertaste.
3. India can make fine wine: Fratelli is one of the few who believed in quality and investing for the long-term, and their new sparkling is quite the draw. Newcomers Charosa are doing a brilliant job, too, as also Krsma from Karnataka, but both have kept away from bubblies for the moment. Zampa-Grover?s has a commendable sparkling wine (and their Bangalore-produced La Reserve remains India?s top red) as also do Sula (which, recently, underwent a packaging transformation and subtle changes to the blends and technique). Now, with an international giant stepping up their game to show their belief in Indian soils, it might just catch the world?s attention. This will benefit the industry as a whole as more critics and buyers start thinking of India as a worthwhile wine source.
4. Others may follow: Even as outbound trade stands to grow, we cannot but hope that other large international players will think of repeating Chandon?s successful foray into India. Companies like Torres and Taittinger, among others, have been long-present in the Indian market and know it well.
5. Death to the generic foreign wine: With the arrival of such a fine sparkler of local origins, the fate of those unknown sparkling wines from around the world, the kind that are neither a reflection of terroir nor command any brand equity, will eventually lose their fizz. Other wines that have always banked on tradition, heritage, values, and a core brand philosophy will manage to co-exist.
For those of you who are reading this as the words of someone who obviously over-indulged at the launch party, I will calmly ask you to try one for yourself. At R1,200 for the Brut and R1,400 for the rose, they are not a strain on the pocket. And then maybe you shall agree with me when I say that a new star is born here in India now.
The writer is a sommelier