Ruma Singh traces the history of Grover Vineyards, currently marking 25 memorable years of winemaking in a journey closely linked to the Indian wine industry’s own history
The Grovers are India’s only wine dynasty, with the third generation on board, and the Grover wine story is both colourful and dramatic.
In the beginning
During his frequent visits to Paris for work in the 1960s and 70s, businessman Kanwal Grover fell in love with French wine and gastronomy. From those trips came the seed of what is today one of India’s largest and most influential wine producers, Grover Zampa Vineyards. With 500 acres of vineyards in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, both owned and long-leased, Grover Zampa sells 2.6 million bottles of wine, including 14 brands and 38 wine labels. For many wine lovers like myself who have frequented Grover Vineyards over the years and who often drink its wines, watching the growth arc of the company has been spectacular.
Back then, whisky-drinking India knew little and cared less about wine. But Kanwal Grover was set on realizing his dream. So the search for a wine consultant began. Grover, having read an article on Georges Vesselle (“The Pope of Champagne”) tracked down Champagne Mumm’s technical director to his home in Bouzy. The language barrier notwithstanding, a bond was struck between the two over bottles of vintage Bouzy red.
Kanwal Grover’s son Kapil, a chartered accountant and MBA, soon found himself drawn into his father’s wine dream, a world apart from the family business of high tech defence equipment. Their beginning, he says, “was quite frightening. We didn’t know if grapes grew on bushes or creepers! When Vesselle and his wife visited India, we made a flurry of visits to Pune and Narayangaon to meet experts who could explain something about Indian grapes and soil.” The visit unspooled like a Bollywood comedy of errors. But by the end of it, Vesselle had learned much and agreed to come on board.
Denne historien er fra September/October 2017-utgaven av Sommelier India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September/October 2017-utgaven av Sommelier India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Godinho Historic family owned restaurant
Feasting on Portuguese and Indigenous Goan flavours, relive the calm and quiet of a time long gone by,
Laurent Ponsot is one of Burgundy's most celebrated winemakers
Jon Wyand finally captured the mercurial Laurent Ponsot - a renowned winemaker and vintner known for his exceptional Burgundy wines - on camera
Exploring Brunello vintages
Ten years in the bottle, a long decant, and yet the harsh tannins overshadowed everything.
An ode to the diva grape
It is worth tasting Pinot Noir in all its varied roles - from the shy, delicate ingénue, and simple yet intense New World newbie to the full-on Grand Cru prima donna
Best ways to explore wine in a new city
The first thing most of us want to do when we go to a new city, be it Dallas or Boston, is to enjoy a few good wine tastings
Champagne Billecart-Salmon
One would think that a 200-yearold Champagne as renowned as Billecart-Salmon did not need any marketing, yet Billecart-Salmon AsiaPacific head, Sebastien Papin was recently in India to tell us about the brand and how the wine is best appreciated.
A thoughtfully curated wine experience
Wine tastings at Vintage Wines in Karjat, Maharashtra, are designed to enhance the appreciation of wine and deepen our understanding of it, writes
The legacy of Henri Gouges
The wines of Maison Henri Gouges from the commune of Nuits-Saint-Georges are considered among Burgundy's hidden gems
An overview of Sussex and
Rosemary George describes the importance of Sussex as an appellation and its potential for tourism
Shades of Rosé
Rioja and Navarra share a love for Grenache, producing two very distinct styles of rosé, writes Elizabeth Gabay MW, which succsesfully enrich the category as her tasting notes illustrate