 Ashwin Deo needs no introduction in wine circles. As the former MD of Moet Hennessey, he was responsible for taking Moet Champagne to unparalleled heights in India. His keen business acumen and expertise in managing brands translates into his own label – Turning Point Wines, recently launched in India. One look at the bottle and it’s obvious that there is something different and unique about these wines.
It’s the packaging of the bottles that makes them stand out amongst all other wine bottles in India. The only identification of the wine in the bottle is the mention of the grape varietal. Beyond, that there are no wine tasting notes or pairing tips. Instead, it’s the mood of the wine that is mentioned on the label, keeping in with Deo’s philosophy that it’s about pairing “wine and mood” rather than the universally held philosophy of “wine and food.”
Would such funky wine labels find a place among the elegant or sleek images that wines are made to convey through their packaging? Ashwin Deo says, “Turning Point wines are not about wine etiquette, but about being able to drink anytime and anywhere, depending upon one’s mood. I deliberately did away with the complicated literature that wine bottles have, because I want wine to be approachable by the youth. That’s why I’ve described each wine in three words which would help the consumer pick it up based on his/her preference.”
The five 2012 wines offered by Turning Point, are described on the bottle as follows:-
| Chenin Blanc : |
Crisp, Candid, Chic. |
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| Sauvignon Blanc : |
Fresh, Fruity, Fabulous. |
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| Shiraz : |
Spicy, Smooth, Sublime. |
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| Shiraz Cabernet : |
Luscious, Luxe, Lyrical. |
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| Rose : |
Sensuous, Summary, Sassy. |
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 Chenin Blanc has aromas of guava and lime peel; this wine is easy on the palate, with a somewhat dry finish. This wine works well as a quaffing wine and would pair well with white meat and non-spicy Indian food.
Sauvignon Blanc has aroma reminiscent of green pepper and the finish is somewhat spicy. If the balance was to be given more attention, this wine has the potential to be much better and could be one of the sought after Sauvignon Blancs produced in India. In its present form, the wine would pair well with spicy Indian food, white meats, and salads.
Shiraz is Ruby red in appearance; this wine emitted both spicy and smoky notes. It is medium-bodied with the right amount of complexity, and had a great finish. This Shiraz would pair well with mutton gravy dishes, as well as red meat, and many Indian dishes.
Shiraz Cabernet was my pick of the lot. This worked well as a quaffing wine and an accompaniment to food. Smooth and medium-bodied red with aromas of plum and pepper. The blend seemed perfect, bringing out the best of both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine would be compatible with any Indian cuisine - more the masala the better.
Rose had only one word to describe it – delicious!
The lunch was interesting because there was no wine and food pairing set by Ashwin Deo. He said, “I deliberately wanted to do away with the format of food-wine pairing today. I wanted everyone to have the freedom to switch from one wine to another, and mix and match whichever way one wants.” And it worked really well as we devised our own pairings during the course of the meal!
Lunch at Café Mangii
 The owner of Café Mangii, Prashant Chaudhuri joined us for lunch and Chef Krishna delighted us with a three course meal as follows:-
Appetizers
| Veg. |
: Red Wine poached pears salad or |
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: Baked brie with Lavash & Multigrain Bread on a bed of roasted pepper. |
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| Non-Veg. |
: Chicken liver pate on melba toast or |
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: Salmon mouse on crunchy cucumber or |
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: Braised scallops finished with white wine served on a bed of caramelized onion and oyster sauce. |
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Mains
Porcini cream and truffle Risotto cooked in Champagne or
Fresh herb marinated Grilled chicken with vegetable cous cous & mushroom pepper sauce
Desserts
Tiramasu or Rose wine flavoured Panacotta
The unique aspect of this wine lunch was that everyone got to taste all the dishes and pair them with any wines of their choosing. After the wine lunch, I truly understood Ashwin Deo’s philosophy of pairing “wine and moods.”
 Turning Point wines are new in the Indian market and available all over. ‘They are priced at Rs. 675 (and Rs. 375 for the 375ml bottle) and are already popular in restaurants all over India, claims Deo. In fact, his strategy of “Wine for Ninety-nine (Rs. 99 a glass-all inclusive) has already been rolled out in many restaurants, and is possibly the only brand where one can drink a glass of wine at such a low price.
Turning Point Wines have a good potential of gaining popularity amongst its intended target market of fun-loving youth and women. Still new in the market, it’s yet to be seen whether these wines, with their different appeal, prove to be a turning point for wines in India.
But, for the moment, it’s definitely turning out to be a turning point for wine packaging!
Rishi Vohra
 Rishi Vohra is the Mumbai Correspondent of delWine and is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) from the Society of Wine Educators - USA. He has done an MBA in Sustainable Business from San Francisco State University and a Masters Diploma in Environmental Law from WWF-India. His debut fiction novel, ‘Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai,’ was released recently in bookstores and is already a bestseller.
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