New start-up fills gap in market for Indian wine

Details: Published on Tuesday, 14 August 2012 10:32; Written by Laura Heywood

Wine from India is going to be the next big thing in the on-trade, according to a new Midlands Indian wine importing business.

Soul Tree Wine has been set up by wine lovers Alok Mathur and Melvin D'Souza, who are based just outside Birmingham in Solihull.

The pair were first made aware of the potential of Indian wine on a trip to the country when they came across a group of farmers "quietly starting an Indian wine revolution". They have since spent six months introducing the range in Indian restaurants in the West Midlands.

Mathur and D'Souza claim Soul Tree is the first wine from India designed specifically for the UK. The range includes a Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Cabernet Sauvignon/Chenin Blanc rosé from vineyards located east of the city of Nasik near India's West Coast.

Today it was announced Soul Tree Wine has been nominated as a finalist in the Start-up Business of the Year category of the National Business Awards. "The judges have already been impressed recognising the fact that Soul Tree Wine has created an imaginative product to fill a gap in the market," a spokesman said.

The National Business Awards in partnership with Orange have honoured excellence in UK business for over 10 years and the winners will be announced in a ceremony in London on November 13.

Comments

#2 Andrew Halliwell 2012-08-16 00:00

When I worked in Nasik, I actually thought the climate was pretty good for grapes. They grow during the "winter" which has sunny days of 25+ and cool nights around 7 degrees, and no rain. The grapes are harvested in March/April. The vines are then pruned, grow again through the monsoon, and pruned after the monsoon - so starting the cycle again.

Certainly some of the Sauvignon Blanc was suprisingly good and as for the rest, the potential seemed to be there, some problems aside. Sula winery was ahead of the game with a suprisingly sophisticated cellar door operation, which would be quite at home in California or the Cape.

With a massive Indian-origin population in the UK and huge restaurant scene, it seems like it ought to be possible to sell a decent amount in the UK. Australian wine was seen as a joke 25 years ago.

#1 Henry Williams 2012-08-14 18:46

What exactly is the "gap in the market"? There have been numerous attempts to sell Indian wine in the UK. Fine as a novelty but that soon wears off leaving pallets of unsold wine.

Nearly all Indian wine that I have tasted is notable for artificially added unbalanced acidity. And is overpriced even allowing for that.

Given the climate, Indian wineries should attempt fortified and sweet wines or even brandy rather than delivering less than ordinary still wines.

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