Wine India Moves: Sumedh Singh Mandla calls it a day at Grover Zampa

Prior to joining Grover Zampa Vineyards as CEO, Sumedh had work experience in Aspri Spirits and Wines and Finewinesnmore More. He had played his hand as entrepreneur in Brandwagon when I met him in Mumbai for the first time about 13 years ago. Originally, he comes from the hospitality background, working at J.W. Marriott, Mumbai.

Last year Sumedh joined the elite band of a handful in India, who have cleared WSET Dip and the last time I met him in Delhi he said he was keen to pursue Master of Wine but it was too difficult unless he could find a sponsor.  Paradoxically, getting the Diploma in Hong Kong might have caused ripples in his mind for further growth. ‘I am very happy with the management. With a stockpile of learning and achievements in my wake, with a heavy heart, I have decided to take this step away from Grover Zampa.  But I do believe that beside personal growth, learning needs to continue. So, it is time to explore new dimensions and new challenges. Grover Zampa will always remain closer to my heart,’ he tells delWine.

Reminiscing his 4- year and 9-month stint with GZV, Sumedh says, ‘wine is my first love and when I was offered the opportunity to work with the newly merged  Grover Zampa Vineyards (GZV) in 2013, it was a dream come true as both my job and passion were intertwined. Leading the business of GZV was a wonderful experience. I was fortunate to get an opportunity to work with  industry veterans like Mr. Kapil Grover and Mr. Ravi Jain and a wonderful team at GZV.  Constant interaction with the knowledgeable and passionate board members like Mr. Ravi Viswanathan added a new dimension to the business strategy. The job was truly enriching as it provided me with a great learning experience amid diverse challenges that come along with the Indian wine Industry. My focus through my tenure at Grover Zampa has been on quality, consistency, innovation, integration of company resources, growth in distribution and better brand awareness and visibility’.

When I asked him about his achievements during these four fruitful years of service with the company, Sumedh said, ‘During the last 5 years, the company has witnessed an increase in sales with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 30%; a three-digit growth in width of distribution, with the wines now present in 23 markets across India and an increase in export markets from 8 to 30 countries. This was accompanied by the launch of premium brands and an expanded portfolio of wines. This includes: Insignia, Chêne, Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection, La Reserve Blanc, Magnifique, Soiree Sparkling range from Karnataka and expansion of the Art Collection range.’

The wine offer of GZV has grown to 38 wine labels across 14 brands - 7 of the new brands have been added since 2013.  ‘We will be launching a celebration Sparkling wine this month on the occasion of 25 years of wine-making. Not only have we expanded our portfolio, my focus has been on quality and consistency. During last 3 years, Grover Zampa wines have won 95 International awards - which re-confirms my faith that we are moving in the right direction,’ he says.

Sumedh is currently also the Chairman for the second term, of Asian Wine Producers Association formed in Hong Kong in 2013. He represents India through Grover Zampa. His term anyway comes to an end next month at the Honk Kong International Wines and Spirits Fair.

Just like everyone else making a career move at a senior level, Sumedh is not willing to share his future plans except that he is mulling over a few options. Meanwhile, Vivek Chandramohan, V. P. Sales has been promoted as the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of the company.

We wish Sumedh Sing Mandla, a success in his endeavours and hope he will continue to add value to the wine education in India.

Subhash Arora

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