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| French Barrel in American Oak- Charles and Gina |
We are obviously not talking of Prince Charles, but wine prince Jean- Charles who operates more from the US than Burgundy. He is in fact the President of the US arm of the 48-year old company, Boisset Family Estates which has been acquiring several wine properties in the US. The family has interests in many other countries beside France and US-including Chile, Canada and Uruguay. E & J Gallo is the biggest wine company in the world whereas Boisset is the fifth largest wine company in France, the third including the business of the American arm. Yesterday, it announced the acquisition of another Burgundy winery, Antonin Rodet.
The private function held in the hotel’s newly re-modelled penthouse suite on September 26 was attended by more than a hundred guests, mostly from the large Gallo family.
One person who is not surprised about not been invited is Abhay Kewadkar, Business head of UB wines, who had negotiated with Charles to bring Bouchard Aine in India. ‘When he met me, he told me personally that since they had bought the winery in Sonoma and since the French wines were being exported in big way to the US, he had ambitious plans for the US,’ says Abhay, adding in a lighter vein, ‘I didn’t know wooing Gina was a part of the plan!’
Is there a possibility of a joint venture now that they are married? In an interview with Robert Joseph, Charles, Meininger International’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2008, said, ’the only venture is one of love, nothing else. The idea of an international blend doesn’t attract us as much.’
Gina, the grand-niece of late Ernesto was a fellow judge at the India Wine Challenge, chaired by Robert Joseph and held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Delhi last November. She seemed much too focussed on the winemaking to be concerned about what and how much was being sold by Radico Khaitan which imports Gallo in India. Perhaps, Jean-Charles can now add Gallo wines to his list for India visits. He is already dealing with UB for the import of Bouchard Aine. Global is importing the JC Boisset range from Burgundy. So, there may be some synergy after all-for the Indian market.
And if Gina agrees to participate again as a judge for the India Wine Challenge in Mumbai on January 25 and 27, 2010 Robert may get two international judges with different palates. And it could be an exotic second honeymoon for the Gallo-Boissets! |