Wine resorts are pretty common concepts in wine-growing regions of the world, especially France, Australia and South Africa. In India, the concept of wine-tasting rooms has just about begun to pick up and wineries are beginning to think about offering accommodation as well to their guests. Grover Zampa, the second largest wine manufacturer in the country, has decided to take this route and enter the hospitality sector.
The winery is planning to set up a 70-100-room premium hotel on its winery at Nashik. “We are in advanced stage of talks with a couple of international players who have shown a keen interest in operating the hotel,” Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO, Grover Zampa Vineyards told FE. This is the first time any winemaker in the country will set up a large hotel. Wine resorts are pretty common in other wine growing countries, especially Europe and Australia where travellers visit the resorts for their yineyard views in addition to the wine tastings, he said. Although such resorts are usually run on a smaller scale, Grover Zampa has decided to set up a larger hotel in this location in anticipation of interested tourists from both Mumbai and Pune. The promoters of Grover Zampa hold about 50% stake in the company, while Reliance Capital and the others own the rest. It has a total of 400 acres of vineyard in Nashik and Bangalore.
“We are in the process of obtaining the necessary clearances from authorities and these are expected any time during this fiscal,” he said without disclosing the investment involved in the project. Grover Zampa Vineyards recently launched the Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection of white and red wines. The product was launched during the recently concluded Wimbledon tournament and received rave reviews from wine critics, he said.