The Hindu Business Line : Indage group unveils low-cost quality wine

WINE is now taking more shelf space in the hospitality segment and many of the private bars. And for the first-time wine drinker, confusion is apparent just looking at the number of bottles ahead of him, or her. Should it be the expensive one, which would burn a hole in the pocket, or the low-priced one, which might not give the first thrill?

Targeting this group and to clear these cobwebs, the Indage group has launched Vino at an affordable price of Rs 90.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Vikrant Chougule, Managing Director, said that the new wine is being marketed in a PET bottle with a screw cap. "There is no gender specificity for these as we are targeting both men and women alike on this."

Vino will be available in Mumbai and New Delhi to begin with, and would make inroads into the rest of the country soon. And Sinn, a wine cooler, has been launched in Mumbai and comes in flavours such as strawberry, black currant, lime lemon, and peach.

These have been launched in Goa and now Mumbai, he said.

Mr Chougule also said that this would not be all as plans are afoot to launch a new wine at the top-end category which would be in limited numbers "so as to retain the exclusivity of the new wine." These would also be marketed in simple and elegantly designed bottles.

Chateau Indage currently produces over 15 domestic and international export brands with presence in 34 countries including France, the UK, and the US.

On expansion plans, Mr Chougule said that the company was now looking at acquisitions, domestic and overseas, and is currently targeting the Australian market, which is famous for its wines.

"Though we have not come to any major acquisition closure, it would surely happen soon."

On the domestic front, he said at the top end the group would offer its customers the happiness of fine dining in Merlot, the signature of Karen Anand, in the same premises of Athena, the lounge bar.

Athena, which has made its mark in Mumbai, is now set to cater to connoisseurs of Pune. The investment that has gone into the making of Athena in Pune is Rs 2 crore.

Mr Chougule said that Athena, which has only the lounge bar, would be relaunched in Mumbai, New Delhi, within 10 days and Merlot in Bangalore.

The other locations where the group has plans are Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chandigarh; these would open within the next couple of months.

The other addition that the group is looking at includes the launch of Nando's, a South African fast food joint; the first one would be in the Orbit mall in Mumbai.

Currently, it has on its platter Mimosa (South-East Asian cuisine), Tantra (Indian cuisine), and Spring (continental cuisine).

Around 200 Nando's outlets are expected to come up in the domestic sector; the investment would be around Rs 75 lakh for each outlet.

Mr Chougule also said that the group, which has three wineries in Maharashtra, has set up one in Himachal Pradesh. The venture was initially done with the help of the Himachal Pradesh Government but has now been totally taken over by the group. Spread over 250 acres, the vineyards would start producing the grapes by the middle of next year, he added.

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Indage group unveils low-cost quality wine