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© 2008 Zenith Optimedia.

 

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03. United Spirits To Uncork Jean-Claude Boisset Wine

28 May, 2008

 

United Spirits is inking a deal with Burgundy giant Jean-Claude Boisset in a move aimed at bolstering the domestic wine play. The development signals Vijay Mallya-led spirits behemoth’s plans to script high-profile ties in the wine world.

 

The family-owned Boisset, the biggest grape buyer in Burgundy region, and United Spirits have already struck a distribution agreement, but would deepen the arrangement through a joint venture (JV) company for selling imported mainstream and boutique labels owned by the former.

 

The four decade-old Boisset has 18 wineries, most of which is in Burgundy and the remaining spread across Beaujolais, the Rhone and California. “We are partnering Boisset in a trading relationship through our subsidiary company United Vintners,” USL president Vijay Rekhi told ET.

 

USL is also in the midst of unveiling more tieups in South Africa and New Zealand, which is not yet made official. Meanwhile, the domestic spirits giant, the world’s third-largest spirits marketer by volume, is parking its nascent wine trading business under United Vintners while Four Seasons Winery at Baramati will deal in locally-produced wines.

 

Boisset and USL are exploring the possibility of an equal joint venture to sell wines priced between Rs 700 and Rs 25,000 per bottle in India, said USL wine division head Abhay Kewadkar. “Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietals, which originally came from Burgundy, are not easy to develop in India, and Boisset is a big player specialising in these varietals,” Mr Kewadkar added.

 

In 2007, USL acquired French sparkling wine maker Bouvet Ladubay in Loire Valley for $15 million. The distribution deal with Boisset is expected to compliment USL’s French wine portfolio, which continues to dominate the Indian market despite an onslaught from the New World.

 

It is believed that the French company is keen on developing its presence in India, which is being touted as one of the potentially big markets. This could see Boisset bringing in its wide spectrum of wines with the regular French Rabbit brand to the more exclusive labels like Chambolle Musigny and Gevrey Chambertin straddling the price bracket. India’s fledgling wine consumption estimated at 1.3-million cases (of 9 litre each) annually is projected to grow at 25% in medium to long term. Boisset has 300 hectares under direct ownership, and over 2,000 hectares locked in through contract farming.

 

Boisset’s emergence as a wine powerhouse in just forty years has been attributed to its ability to produce sustainable large quantities of generic wine with varietal character. The firm is also a controversial one for leading packaging innovations in the traditional heartlands of winemaking. For instance, Boisset was one of the first to attempt PET and tetrapak packaging apart from trying out screw caps on bottles.

 

04. ABD Launches 'Wodka Gorbatschow' In India

9 June, 2008

 

Allied Blenders & Distillers Pvt. Ltd. (ABD) today announced the launched of the 87-year-old German vodka brand 'Wodka Gorbatschow' in India. The brand is Germany's biggest vodka brand and also its third strongest spirits brand. It will be priced in India for Rs 570 for a 750 ml bottle. Wodka Gorbatschow is also among the top 15 premium vodkas in the world, and with 1.4 million cases sold it is a member of the "Club of Millionaires". In 2006, Wodka Gorbatschowwas awarded the Monde Sélection Gold Medal.

 

The brand will be locally bottled at the Aurangabad plant of Allied Blenders & Distillers Pvt. Ltd Maharashtra, which is bringing the product to the country in agreement with Wiesbaden-based winery, Henkell & Sohnlein Sektkellereien KG , Germany, which owns the brand. Wodka Gorbatschow is the first brand launch in India from the ABD-Henkell alliance.

 

The roots of the brand go back to the czarist era in St. Petersburg. In 1917 the Gorbatschow family left Russia during the October revolution and refounded the Gorbatschow Company in 1921 in Berlin. The brand is Germany's biggest vodka brand and also its third strongest spirits brand.

 

"The vodka category growth in India continues to outperform the total spirits market growth," said Deepak Roy, executive vice chairman and CEO, ABD. With such a booming economy, Indian consumers are increasingly connected to global trends and looking for new experiences, thus offering Wodka Gorbatschowsignificant potential."

 

"Wodka Gorbatschow is the first brand launch marking the ABD-Henkell alliance in India," says Deepak Roy, executive vice chairman and CEO, ABD. "The Indian market is dynamically poised for a highly evolved state, and there couldn't have been a better choice of brand than Wodka Gorbatschow to serve the ever-increasing demand for pure and high quality vodka. We are confident that the product quality will speak for itself, having done so for decades."

 

The distinctive processing of the brew is said to impart it a distinctive flavour - the filtration process is conducted at -12°C, after which the vodka is double-filtered over charcoal, making the product extremely smooth and exceptionally pure. which along with from premium-processed ingredients finally results in its soft, mild aroma-impression that the brand seeks to convey.

 

The vodka comes in a clear glass of its bottle, which the company says conveys the idea of Arctic purity. The bottle design signifies the swirling minarets of Moscow. The brand mark of the dove and the distinct brand colours of arctic blue, white and silver represent the purity and pristine clarity that the brand stands for, Allied Blenders said in a company statement, adding "With its positioning of purity, Wodka Gorbatschow has always stood for excellence and nothing less than the highest standards of quality.”  

 

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