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Grover #25 Part 2: Karishma – making wine in India

November 29, 2017

Two things had a major impact on the Grover story – the merger with Maharashtra-based wine producer Vallée de Vin in 2012 made it India’s second biggest wine producer. Shortly before that came the entry of young Karishma Grover as assistant winemaker, qualified in viticulture and oenology from UC Davis and fresh from working in the Napa Valley. She brought along with her new ideas and a new commitment to making quality wine in India. Today, Grover Zampa Vineyards is notching up new achievements and marking new milestones

Karishma Grover with Vijay Amritraj at the VA Reserve Collection launch

I’m intrigued by young people who decide to go into their family business; it is getting rare these days. But Karishma Grover is no typical young person and winemaking is no common family business.

‘A switch flipped somewhere inside…’

During our chat at the winery I ask her about her debut into the wine world. “I’m fortunate that wine was my family business,” she replies. It was far from an automatic choice, however. A science student at JB Petit school, Mumbai, she describes herself as the odd one out among the super-focused science nerds – a self-described ‘back bencher.’ “In India, half the science students typically go into medicine, the other half engineering. But neither was for me. I just couldn’t wrap my head around physics. So I was kind of spitballing, when my mother said why not try your hand at winemaking?”

Karishma agreed to give it a try though she was still far from convinced. Then came her aha moment. Famous flying winemaker Michel Rolland, who was consulting with Grovers came to town on one of his visits and her father Kapil agreed to let her tag along with them. “I was about 15 or 16 at the time, and Dad scared me by saying ‘be quiet, behave, no whining’, and so on.” But those five days turned into a life-changing experience for the young girl. “A switch flipped somewhere inside and I was riveted. For me, the biggest thing with Michel was that he treated me like an adult and a professional. He would take the time to answer every question I asked, whether in the vineyards or about winemaking. There was a good amount of learning and plenty of respect. I quickly fell in love with wine – the lifestyle, the wine pairing with food. In five days what was until then a ‘maybe’ career became my whole life.”

Mind made up, it seemed natural for Karishma to move on to study viticulture and winemaking at the University of California Davis in the United States. “What struck me right away was the difference in teaching styles between the US and India. Here, you’re rarely encouraged to challenge your professors; there’s little or no dialogue. In the US, our professors were from the top of their fields – from microbiology to viticulture – but they were so open, so interested in conversation and debate, so ready to have their ideas challenged. It was brilliant.”

This openness has defined her management style, she says. “It’s now integral to who I now am. I like positive attitudes, especially since I entered the industry so young. There was always something to learn, to open your mind up further.” She also fosters it in turn in her team. “Each one is invested in their work, and that, in turn, helps improve end quality.” She encourages lateral thinking and believes competition is healthy.

Karishma offline

Karishma Grover in the GZV cellars

What does Karishma do when she is not making wine?

“My biggest passion is television. I’m obsessed with reality shows like the Real Housewives. They are addictive. I spend an hour or two a week catching up on my TV shows, in pop culture, movies, reading. I read a few blogs on my days off (I don’t work on weekends unless it is during harvest). I love good food so I’m always trying out new restaurants. I’m an indiscriminate foodie – I’m happy to eat anything, even MSG-heavy ‘Indian’ Chinese. My sister is much more health conscious than I am. I also do a travel blog with my 15-year-old cousin. We love to explore stuff; I’m not driven by doing any greater good here.”

Holidays and short getaways are also must-dos. “I’m very particular about my holidays now. For the first four years of working, I didn’t take a vacation. Now I take three weeks off every two years and weekend breaks in between. When I travel, I don’t go to wine regions – I stay away from anything that’s related to work. Work can get stressful at times and a break is good.”

Decoding the Indian wine consumer

In 2008 Karishma joined GZV as a winemaker and over time, she has gradually become more involved in the GZV management, especially in the product development space. “Recently I decided to make the move from Bangalore (where the original Grover winery is) to Mumbai (where the GZV head office is located post their merger with Vallée de Vin). “I did it gradually, it wasn’t an overnight move. I’m also taking on more responsibility in stages. I believe in tossing ideas around and listening to responses.”

As we moved through the tasting, what struck me was the freshness and quality of the wines before us, some were several vintages old. Karishma agreed that wines taste best where they are made, stored in optimal conditions. “They don’t suffer travel shock, they are always stored well.”

In the cellars

I’m always interested in what wine producers think of their consumers. Do they cater to their needs and tweak their wines to fit popular tastes? Or do they hold fast to their own ideas and beliefs? There’s been very little research done on the Indian wine consumer, which makes him/her a fascinating subject of discussion whenever I meet someone from the wine industry. “The Indian consumer is very interesting. I don’t think we really know enough about him or her,” says Karishma. She recently visited Jaipur and Chandigarh and the trips were a revelation to her. “We are used to consumers in Delhi, Mumbai and other metro cities who are relatively mature wine drinkers. What I discovered and found interesting was the various stages of interest in wine – or lack of – as well as opinions and widely-held beliefs. For instance, there is still largely an assumption that wine is a woman’s drink. I don’t agree at all.

“There are no absolutes. What I do know is that today’s young people don’t want to drink what their parents drank. They want to travel a different path. There’s also a growing awareness of health benefits (though a bit slower in India than in Europe), but still there. People increasingly want to know who is picking their grapes, growing their coffee and vegetables. People have different reasons for eating or drinking what they do. You cannot generalize anymore.”

Even in India, with wine drinking growing at a far higher rate than in Europe, wine lovers come in different avatars. “Some are brand loyal, others are looking for a niche product, or something unusual.”

The process of dissecting the consumer and understanding target audiences for wine is just beginning. And it is going to be an exciting ride.

The Grover anniversary winery tasting

Grover Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Fresher than the daisies in the vineyard, the bottle (the painting on the label is by noted Indian artist Rini Dhumal) is the only Indian wine to date to have won the highest accolade – the International trophy for the Best in Show International Trophy at Decanter Asia Wine Awards 2014, underlining GZV’s top spot in the wine industry in India. (see article here) A refreshing wine with fresh citrus fruit on the nose, it has a neat acidity and a lengthy finish. A great value buy and one of their most popular labels.

La Réserve Blanc 2016

Delicate fruit – pineapple and notes of stone fruit, overlaid with distinct hints of oak. This one is 90% Viognier, 10% Sauvignon Blanc, of which 40% is oak-aged for three months, half in new barrels and half in one-year-old barrels then aged some more on lees. There’s a brightness at the finish from the Sauvignon Blanc. An Indian wine which will hold its own with food, especially seafood.

Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection white 2015

The VA Reserve Collection white, a 100% Viognier

An elegant 100% Viognier and one of Karishma’s personal favourites, it is 40% barrel-fermented in new oak. Redolent with aromas of apricot and peaches with traces of vanilla from the oak. A very nice balance and finish.

“When you drink it, it explodes in your mouth,” says Karishma, “It takes over your senses. I’m often asked why we make two Viogniers. The La Réserve Blanc is easier to drink. I believe that with the VA white, you need good food to show it at its best.”

Both the VA Collection wines have changed and improved since they were launched, I believe.

The Grover Art Collection Rosé 2017

Raspberry cotton candy hues in a glass. Rosé wines have not really got their due, and that is unfair. This one is light-bodied and fresh, perfect for that long summer’s day. A 100% Syrah. And my favourite woman-centric Art Collection label by Rekha Rodwittya.

Then came a short vertical tasting – one that held interest for me personally.

La Réserve red 2011 and La Réserve red 2015

Then came a short vertical – one that held great interest for me personally – would this popular red wine have aged well? Not too many Indian wines have crossed this particular Rubicon well so far.

The 2011 had. This sealed the deal for me that La Réserve, an 80-20 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah was back where it once belonged. The 2011, now a good six-years old, was softer on the palate than its younger sibling, the tannins mellowed and smoothed, the red fruit still noticeable but receding into more complex aromas. A delight and a surprise.

The 2015 was still intense and concentrated, and opened and developed in the glass as the minutes ticked by and we revisited it. It will be interesting to track as it ages. (A La Réserve fan? Track down a bottle of this vintage and stash away for a while). Both had the same essential flavour profile, the same amount of oak-ageing. Time had done the rest. “It’s too iconic to change,” said Karishma.

Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection red 2015

A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Syrah and 3% Viognier, it is aged for one year in French oak. Spicier and more complex than its predecessor, the tannins are also chewier. “The flavours are more concentrated than the La Réserve,” points out Karishma.”In the last couple of years, my love for the VA collection has intensified.”

Insignia 2015

The first vintage of Karishma’s ‘experiment’, this vintage is now sold out. Unsurprising, as only 300 magnums were made of this 100% single vineyard Syrah, considered India’s most expensive wine when launched. (If you are interested, the latest vintage to be released shortly has 600 bottles, and you might have a better chance at booking a bottle.) It is sold only ex-winery, not commercially. “Single varietal. Double sorting first. Whole cluster sorting, then berry sorting. Finally, oak fermented on skins in French oak barrels. Then bottled and bottle-aged,” she says. This is complex, well-restrained. Interestingly, Karishma, despite her own Napa geneology, has steered away from making a big oak-dominant Napa-style bomb here.

“This is a winemaker-driven wine. We don’t follow specific rules or schedules here and if there is vintage variation, so be it. We let the wine tell us when it is ready.”

Prices of Grover wines for Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore:

VA Reserve Collection red and white: Rs 1400/1495/1450

La Réserve Red and Blanc: Rs 1050/1000/1050

Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc: Rs 750/675/765

Art Collection rosé: Rs750/675/640

Tours to the vineyards, both in Nandi Valley, Karnataka and Nashik, Maharashtra, may be booked online at http://www.groverzampa.in/visit-us/

Watch the video of my chat with Karishma Grover on her vision for GZV and her thoughts on the way ahead for the Indian wine industry.

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Interviews / Tastings / Wine in India / Winery Visits

The KRSMA story: from Hampi with love

May 6, 2014

Krishna Prasad and Uma Chigurupati at the KRSMA winery

How a couple of Indian wine lovers gave up the humdrum to make a splash in the world of wine

Krishna Prasad Chigurupati started out his wine journey with a glass of bad wine. At age 17, he had his first sip of wine at his neighbour’s house at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The neighbour happened to be a bishop, and the wine was sickly sweet. “It was really bad,” he recalls. But the wine bug had bit, and he decided that making wine was just the thing: home made wine. “I tried making some again when I was 21, using table grapes and bread yeast. It was still bad. Over the years, I kept at it. I’d use beer bottles and crown caps for my homemade wine, and give them away to friends.” Over the years, he kept at it, and, he insists, the wine improved. Finally, at 26, he moved to Hyderabad to start his own pharmaceutical business and married Uma, a microbiologist, and for a while, winemaking took a back seat as they concentrated on their pharmaceutical business. Still, it was never far from their minds, as they travelled the world, all the while drinking and learning about good wine.

That persistence paid off. Today, Chigurupati and Uma are owners of KRSMA Estates (after their names Krishna + Uma), an ambitious project located close to the World Heritage site of Hampi, started in 2007. The couple, armed with qualifications from the University of California Davis and help and advice from a slew of viticulturist and oenologist friends, have taken charge of the winery and vineyards themselves – there is no foreign viticulturist or winemaker in tow, something that is fairly de rigueur in Indian winemaking circles these days.

The KRSMA Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 magnum

KRSMA Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 in magnum

The choice of Hampi for the project itself raised eyebrows, but Chigurupati decided to go against the tide. “I felt Hampi was unique,” he says, “Virgin territory – very dry, rocky, well-drained, iron-rich schist soil, very little rain and plenty of breeze.” This to him, spelled freedom from disease and fungicide. They decided on drip irrigation to keep the vines sturdy and strong, and the greatest importance was given to the grapes. Yields were kept low, at one and a half tons per acre. “We didn’t want to compromise, nor be dictated to by winemakers from abroad. The project was our passion, our own experience at work. Yes, we made good decisions and bad as we learned in those early days.” Adds Uma, “We are still dictated to only by the fruit and the soil.”

KRSMA makes two whites, Sauvignon Blanc (Rs 750/$12) and Chardonnay (Rs 1000/$16), and two reds, Sangiovese (Rs 1000/$16) and the flagship wine of the brand, a robust Cabernet Sauvignon (Rs1500/$25). There are 40 acres presently under cultivation, and every weekend Uma drives six hours to the vineyards to check on the vines, sometimes tasting from up to a hundred barrels in a day. In another first, the harvest is early, in January. The red wines are aged for at least 12 months, and fermentation takes place in smaller tanks, both in open fermenters, as well as closed tanks that permit cold maceration. The labels are designed to reflect the wines Indianness, with elements of the region’s historic Vijayanagar empire.

KRSMA Estates launched their wines in February 2014, at a lavish party in Bangalore at the JW Marriott. Press and high society were in attendance, and a menu was meticulously put together to showcase the wines at their best. The glitzy launch, preceded by a tutored tasting, threw up some interesting discoveries for most present. The Chardonnay (subsequently a double gold medal winner at the China Wine and Spirit Awards 2013), restrained yet balanced with distinct fruit aromas, won me over. The Cabernet 2012 (gold medal), rich, succulent and decanted in the afternoon, was still opening up well into the evening. Unusual? “Not really,” he laughs, “I once found an open bottle of my 2012 Cabernet in my cellar, which I’d opened two months before. It had still not spoiled. Quite amazing.”

The KRSMA winery

What made them pick Chardonnay for their portfolio over the more popular Chenin Blanc? I asked Chigurupati. Wasn’t the risk greater in the unexplored terrains of Hampi? “We didn’t think about it too much,” he said, “Chenin is popular in India because it is easy to grow and gives a good yield. We wanted to challenge the systems. And while our first Chardonnay vintage was fruit-driven without oak, we are now doing trials and experimenting with some oak. Just a hint, as I feel most Chardonnays are made with too much oak, which overpowers the fruit.”

Their Sangiovese is smooth, with well-integrated tannins and is easy to drink. The Sauvignon Blanc (silver medal) is dry and restrained, more French in style than New Zealand. However the wine that occupies their pride of place is their Cabernet Sauvignon, also the first red wine in India to be launched in magnums. At Rs 1500 for the 750ml bottle, it is an expensive Indian wine, but Chigurupati does not think so. ” I feel our wines are underpriced. Based on surveys, we believe that our Cabernet can fetch over $30 in retail in the US. We aren’t desperate to sell. We are making small quantities, and I am ready to release the wines in small batches and watch and wait for reactions. I am confident about our wine.”

Before the KRSMA launch dinner, JW Marriott Bangalore

Right now, he has released his wines in only one city, Bangalore, at select retail outlets, and he is happy with the feedback. The Cabernet will make for graceful ageing, he says, and he claims that despite early accolades it is still a work in progress. “I want my Cabernet with more body and fruit, like a Napa Cabernet. So I’ve gone back to the vineyards to monitor sap movement to improve quality further.”

Chigurupati’s next target is the US: New York followed by Seattle. He is convinced that the Americans will love his big robust Cabernet. His circle of international winemaker friends give him feedback and encouragement – Randy Dunn, Alan Shook, Tuscany’s Molinari, Armin Diel and John Duval, who has worked with Penfolds Grange. “We exchange notes and are learning constantly. Most oenologists have experience in their own regions, but Indian winemaking is very different from European.”

KRSMA wines have already won a slew of international medals. While Chigurupati is happy about it, he says medals by themselves have limited meaning. “I would be happier with good ratings, say a 95,” he says with a chuckle, “But these are our first vintages, so I would give myself maybe an 88. I’m happy with our progress.”

The Chigurupatis run their way into the Guiness Book of World Records the marathon in Kenya

Besides their passion for wine, the Chigurupatis have another. They run marathons. It all started with a casual 10K run to encourage their staff at the office to get fit. There was no looking back. They are now members of the elite Marathon Grand Slam Club and have been recognised by Guinness Book of World Records as the only Indian couple to have finished marathons in seven continents in nine months, including a marathon at the North Pole, after the Antarctic Ice marathon the year previous. Says Chigurupati, “Now we have slowed down and limit ourselves to two a year.”

But he is happier to get accolades for his wines, and these are coming in thick and fast. “I’m in no hurry,” he says. “I’m in it for the long haul.” As with running marathons, a steady pace and an eye on the goal is what the job demands.