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 Not only is the hotel featuring Indian wines, it has categorised them by the name of the three vineyard sites where Fratelli grows the grapes- Motewadi, Nimgaon and Garwar (names of the villages). The company thus can start talking about the terroir gradually and develop another USP for their wines.
The 3 flights have 3 wines each-Gran Cuvee Brut (zero dosage) being the common denominator. Motewadi has all whites-Vitae Chardonnay and Vitae Tre (a blend of 3 grape varieties-Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Müller- Thurgau). Nimgaon has Sangiovese and Sette as the two other wines while Garwar includes Vitae Chardonnay and Sangiovese. Each flight is priced at Rs. 1990 inclusive of taxes and cheese and olive platters. The size of pour is 120 mL which Ankur Chawla, Beverage Manager promised to me , would be changed to the standard 125 mL (6 glasses to a bottle-2 such servings are usually within the healthy limits and safe for driving when consumed with food at a relaxed pace.)
Kapil Sekhri and Alessio Secci, two of the founder owner-Directors of the company were also present in the Oval Bar and had declared their unstinting support for the project, making it possible to remove the confusion and thus the hotel decided to offer tasting any two wines for Rs. 1000 All Inclusive. This would mean less than twice the cost of the retail price if someone wanted to have a glass of Vitae and a Sette. And if one included the cost of cheese etc., it could well be cheaper than Ahata in Haryana where one can buy wine from the Retail store and drink in the adjoining restaurant where food would be available at affordable prices.
More importantly, one can take their guests to the Oval Bar for a meeting and/or have their guests taste Indian wines they can be proud of, without burning a hole in the pocket. Ankur confirmed that the guest could be served in the lounge or even the restaurant if one insisted. He also conceded that though the name suggested Indian Produce, they were limiting it to only wines. He confirmed that the talks are going on with Sula and Grover who have taken a lot of interest in being a part of the project. There may thus be tasting opportunities in future where one can have a choice of wine from different producers-effectively making it the equivalent of a wine bar to showcase Indian wines.
The concept is noteworthy, not only because it gives an opportunity for wine drinkers to taste wines at reasonable prices but also gives a thumbs up to the Indian wine quality and a thumbs down to the wine snobs who would rather drink imported plonk selling for less than €2 as compared to the high quality Indian wines which have made a mark in the international markets by winning Gold and Silver Medals in blind tastings in various wine competitions. This will further give an impetus to the quality improvement measures and motivate the passionate producers who have staked a lot in the future of the Indian wine industry.
For further details, please contact Ankur.chawla@Marriott.com
Thumbs up to JW Marriott for giving a nudge to Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ concept in style and congratulations to Fratelli on taking the Pole position.
Subhash Arora |