Moët-Hennessy to launch home grown sparkling wine to Indian wine market

By Richard Siddle

Published: 16 September, 2013

Moët-Hennessy is to try and introduce home grown sparkling wine to the Indian wine market next month with a range of new Non Vintage sparkling wines produced in the Nashik region.

The wine and spirits group has been working on developing and expanding it own Indian wine range, but Chandon Nashik will be its first foray in to sparkling wine.

Mark Bedingham, managing director of Moët-Hennessy Asia-Pacific, describes in an interview today with Harpers.co.uk, that he sees Chandon Nashik as an important step in trying to change drinking trends in the country.

He explained: "The most important objective as we launch, is to introduce a new consumption culture to the market. This can only be achieved by making the brand available at as many touch-points as possible. Chandon Nashik India will be available across traditional and modern wine retail shops and will be listed across hotels, restaurants, lounges and night-clubs. While this wine category is still nascent in India, we believe that there is a strong untapped potential to develop the bubbles category. There is a vast population of young, sophisticated Indians who aspire to consume world class products. Chandon India will give them a drink they can call their own."

The new range will include Chandon NV Brut, a combination of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay & Pinot Noir and a Rosé made from Shiraz. It is not releasing RRPs and production estimates at this time.

Bedingham also confirmed the company had needed to work hard to be able to make a sparkling wine from what is a hot, tropica and humid region of India. He said: "The Nashik region is inland from the coast and at a considerably higher altitude, resulting in lesser rainfall than the coast and more moderate temperatures. The vines are pruned in September as soon as the monsoon rains have cleared and the growing of grapes is conducted between October to January. These months are cold and dry. Lower temperatures during this growing season allows the grapes to retain their high acidity levels when harvested in the months of January and February before temperatures rise - despite Nashik being located in the northern hemisphere!"

The sparkling wine is aimed at a younger consumer looking for more international, cosmopolitan brands.

* You can read the full interview with Mark Bedingham here.

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