Maison Pierre de Maison Sula

Maison Pierre, launched in Gurgaon yesterday, is the latest offering from Sula Vineyards; a low-priced value- for- money import from France that may compete with domestic labels and cause ripples in the quaffable wine market, reports Subhash Arora

At a recent wedding where there were only the rich and the richer, where money was no object, where a 300 plus number of women wore jewellery worth over $20 million, it was no surprise that the house whisky pour was the staid Black Label.

I was not surprised when I approached the bar and was told the wine was the best; a French, a Cuvee. It mattered little that it was a table wine, the lowest end of the totem. I was also not surprised that the 600 guests sipped through a dozen bottles of red and nineteen of white, about the amount we usually consume at a wine club dinner for forty.

To all the guests who did not want to suffer the plonk one can now say, 'Do not despair, Maison Pierre is here.'

Maison Pierre is French

For a start, Maison Pierre- I suspect it will become popular as MP for the nice parliamentarian ring to its name, is a French wine. The bold lettering on top of the label is prominently displayed on the New World-style label. What foxes you the next moment is the screw cap on both the red and the white wine. Not a Bordeaux or Burgundy, is it?

It is a Vin du Pays wine from Languedoc region, made in new world style especially for Sula, by the well known Provence wine maker Hugh Ryman.

Hugh Ryman

Maison Pierre owes its existence to this interesting man. The brand is owned by Sula but the man behind making the wine is a well known producer in the South of France.

Ryman's experience making wine in Provence was the inspiration for the latest wine film, 'A Good Year', based on Peter Mayle's novel of the same name, released in October, 2006. The film, starring Russell Crowe, tells the story of a young city banker who moves from England to Provence, where his uncle has willed him a winery. He ends up upgrading the winery, making plonk into a successful wine business.

In real life, events might have been quite different. But the 46 year old Bordeaux University qualified winemaker did shift from England to France when he was 13. He has worked with Château Pétrus, Château Yquem, and Louis Latour and has spent a year in Australia. Living in Bordeaux, he spends as much time as is possible at the vineyards and with several of his other clients.

He is also a consultant winemaker and has been working in 16 countries including Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Moldova, California Italy, Morocco, Germany, Hungary and several wineries in France.

Sula Vineyard

By tying up with Hugh Ryman, Rajeev Samant of Sula may be able to fill in a gap in the market with his usual dexterity. With the high import duties, there has been a gap in the prices at which the imported wines start to sell. Most of the decent imported wines are sold upwards of Rs.750 outside Maharashtra while the Indian wines sell at Rs.450-550.

MP hopes to enter an uncharted territory by offering a quaffable French wine at Rs. 550. As a banquet wine, party wine, house wine and French wine at the price of Indian wine, Maison Pierre will have a sizeable market to conquer. It currently has two offerings, one in red and white each.

Maison Pierre has already been introduced recently in Maharashtra. At Rs.610 in Mumbai, it is a better value even with respect to the competition.

The BIO label

By bringing Maison Pierre, Sula has not necessarily been a trend setter. The trend has already been set by Brindco who has been bringing in their own label 'Golden Mile' from supposedly their own winery in Australia. Priced at Rs.500-600, it has been doing very well in retail and a few on-trade outlets.

Chateau d'Ori has been importing wines from Bordeaux under the Bellevie label for over 3 years. Amit Burman- owned Nature's Bounty has also been importing and marketing 4 variants of its own label Casuarina Creek at around Rs. 800. Recently Vinner Vineyards has started importing Italian wines under Opera label owned by the company in a joint venture with an Italian company, at a similar price.

The company aims to take a lead in its share in the new growth segment of imported wines, according to Rajeev.

About the wines

Maison Pierre labels are both Vins de Pays (VDP) from Languedoc Roussillon. The red is a juicy blend of Grenache-Shiraz, warm weather grapes which flourish in the South of France. It is plumy and spicy with pleasant flavours and soft tannins.

The white wine is a fresh Sauvignon Blanc-Marsanne blend. Sauvignon Blanc is already very popular with the Indian palates. Marsanne is a grape of northern Rhone and also grows well in Languedoc region where it is used as a blending grape that adds the spiciness and nuttiness. A juicy and fresh, crispy wine that is a great banquet, party, house and every-occasion wine where one looks for quaffability as well.

Surprisingly, both the labels from MP have a reasonable level of alcohol at 13% which would help it mix well with Indian cuisine too.

'The wines have been designed with a style to please the 25-35 year olds and the price would be very attractive for the beginners as well as those who want to budget their spend at parties and yet want to serve decent, quaffable blends,' says Samant.

Robert Joseph on Pierre

The well-known English wine critic and author, who is also the Chairman of India Wine Challenge has gone beyond watching the movie, 'A Good Year.' He has teamed up with the skilled winemaker to create wines of intense flavour and great structure for some of his projects.

Robert is not involved in the current project, though in an email query from delWine, he responded, 'Although I am not involved in making these wines, I have tried both the wines and I like the style of both. I think they will go well with the young Indian palate.'

Till it arrives in Delhi, residents can buy it and try it too in Gurgaon at Central Arcade (opposite Sahara Mall) and Qutab Plaza Shopping complex, DLF-I.

Subhash Arora
May 6, 2008

 



 

 
 
 
 

 
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