Winemaker eyes TN hill stations to set up vineyards

The size of the Indian wine market including imports is about 30 million bottles. Compare this to China, which consumes about 3 billion bottles a year. Ravi Viswanathan, a Singapore-based investment banker, and Director of the Karnataka-based Grover Zampa Vineyards, is optimistic about the prospect of having vineyards in the state.

“Assuming we can enter the mass market of wines in TN, we are considering the possibility of growing grapes in a few hill stations of TN. We haven’t yet done soil studies, but theoretically, we think it’s possible, by looking at comparable regions elsewhere,” he says. “We would even be interested in making some investments – either directly or through contract farming. Once you plant the grapes, the first harvest happens in three years. Once we have enough locally grown grapes of a satisfactory quality, which may take 3 to 5 years, we could consider the possibility of setting up a local winery as well in Tamil Nadu,” he adds.

The company produces a range of premium wines like the Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection White and Grover Sauvignon Blanc, which are popular in markets like Maharashtra and Karnataka.

However, penetrating the TN market is a challenge for the brand as Viswanathan says, “For many years, only imported wines could be sold in five-star hotels and the sale of domestic wine was prohibited. Now that rule has changed, and Indian wines can be sold in these hotels. However, they are prohibited from being sold in Tasmac outlets. We are hoping there will be a change in policy soon, which will allow Indian wines to re-enter Tasmac. We will shortly be entering the state with our imported wine labels too.”