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 Confirming the statement by Sumit Sehgal, Director and head of the All-India operation of the importing company Prestige, Kiran Patil who looks after the marketing of Reveilo wine labels said that the partnership envisions all of their 11 labels through them throughout India. She tells delWine, ‘This symbiotic relationship would be beneficial for both the parties. Prestige has become synonymous with Torres in India and has maintained the premium imagery. It is a good fit for Reveilo, which is one of the most premium domestic wines. They have a well-established and resourceful team. Reveilo completes their portfolio by being the sole Indian wine. ‘
Sehgal also talks of the synergy of the partnership as he says, ‘with the growing wine culture in India, we thought it was strategically very important to add an Indian wine to our portfolio to match the pace with the growing industry. This will also help us in increasing our width of distribution and we can now target the price conscious chunk of the market also. Moreover, as we already have our own distribution network across India with own warehouses in Delhi, Mumbai & Goa; this partnership will help us in better utilization of our resources & infrastructure. Prestige & Reveilo both complement each other and share the same vision of promoting quality wines and exposing Indian mass to fine wines. We feel, together we can achieve greater heights and create new avenues for each other.’
During a visit to Delhi earlier this year, Miguel Torres Sr., Chairman of the Torres Group which is a partner in the Indian Joint Venture, had informed delWine that Prestige was about to tie-up with an Indian producer soon. Reporting on February 10, 2014 that ‘Torres May Distribute Indian Wines Soon’, delWine had surmised that ‘The 230 million euro Spanish Group, distributing wines in India through the joint venture, Prestige Wines and Spirits may also start handling distribution of Indian wines from the coming fiscal year, according to Miguel Torres Sr., the patriarch of the Torres empire and partner in the joint venture, during a dinner organized at Sevilla Restaurant when he visited Delhi for a day last week.’ Sehgal had then refused to comment and had said that the negotiations were on but nothing had been confirmed.
Vintage Wines works with an Italian consultant Enofly since the beginning in 2002 and was the first Indian winery to have an Italian collaboration in technology and wine making. It has introduced Italian varietals like Nero d’Avola, Grillo and Sangiovese. It had established its supremacy in the early days for Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Its current portfolio has Chenin Blanc, Syrah and Merlot; Italian Range- Grillo, Nero d’Avola and Sangiovese, Premium Range – Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Range – Chardonnay Reserve, Syrah Reserve and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and a Late Harvest Chenin Blanc in its Dessert wine range.
The winery has a family landholding of 215 acres near Niphad, about 50kms from Nashik, of which 100 acres are dedicated to wine variety grapes and has potential to expand. However, due to financial and marketing constraints, it has not been able to exploit its quality and grow comfortably and has not been able to cross the 10,000 case levels, the target set for this year against the sale of 8,500 cases during the last financial year. Kiran feels that they will see the results of the synergies in the marketing during the next financial year.. The company plans to enter the Delhi market which it had already attempted earlier but was unsuccessful because of high label registration costs as compared to the potential sales.
Reveilo is focusing on its key markets aggressively. ‘We have just gone through a consolidation phase and are marching on with a very clear objective – to maximize our presence in the existing markets and tap the market potential to the fullest. We are in the process of increasing wine varietals and marketing focus in markets other than Maharashtra,’ says Kiran Patil who was selected as one of the top Ten Women in Wine in India last year.
Her husband and Director Yatin Patil, who focuses more on the production, says ‘Owing to enhanced viticultural practices and controlled yields, we have now grapes of great quality and the wines have turned out to be beautiful. They are fresh and cleaner than ever. There is something for everybody. We have our regular range for those who like their wines fresh and light. We have our Italian, Premium and Dessert wines for the experimental those who like to try new things. And we have our Reserves for the seasoned palates.’
As delWine had opined at that time, any collaboration with the Torres group would have a distinct advantage in the long term and would also indicate the long-term vision of an experienced and global player with excellent vision like Miguel Torres Sr. ‘In any case, such collaboration bodes well for the Indian wine industry as well as to the bottom line of the Torres JV. It may also indicate a bullish long term vision of the patriarch in the Indian wine industry and domestic production, a very desirable move from the standpoint of the local industry,’ was our comment.
We believe this could be a defining moment for a successful partnership between Indian producers and the importers with an established marketing network despite the earlier not-so-successful efforts by Brindco, Aspri, Amphora, Arizona Marketing and FinewinesnMore etc.
For the earlier related article, click Torres may Distribute Indian Wines Soon
Subhash Arora |