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Novum backs Indian wine with second listing
Novum Wines has added a second Indian wine producer to its portfolio with the listing of Fratelli Wines from Akluj in Maharashtra.
Having already established a long-standing partnership with Sula Wines, India’s largest premium wine producer, Novum’s latest move adds a “boutique” option to its Indian range.
Highlighting the view of Steve Daniel, buying director for Novum Wines, that Fratelli represents “the most exciting recent development in the Indian wine industry”, Andrew Parker, marketing manager for Hallgarten Druitt and Novum Wines, added: “Fratelli are already producing great wines in their second vintage and they have a real can do attitude.”
A joint Italian/Indian venture, Fratelli Wines represents a collaboration between three pairs of brothers: Andrea and Alessio Secci, Kapil and Gaurav Sekhri, and Ranjitsinh and Arjunsinh Mohite-Patil.
Together the team has built a modern winery and planted 240 acres of vineyards around the town of Akluj, 190km south of Pune. Among the 13 different varieties planted there are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah and Sangiovese.
Overseeing the operation is Tuscan oenologist and viticulturalist Piero Masi, former estate manager of Isole e Olena, who also acts as consultant to Chianti estate Castello Vicchiomaggio.
From the 2011 vintage, Novum has imported Fratelli’s “Classic White” blend of Chenin Blanc/Muller Thurgau/Sauvignon Blanc and “Classic Red” Syrah/Cabernet Franc blend, as well as the estate’s single varietal Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
The range, which is priced between £8.99 and £11.99, will be available to taste at next week’s London International Wine Fair, stand J15.
Confirming that “Sula’s wines have been embraced by an extremely wide audience here in the UK,” Parker described this second Indian listing as “a logical extension of the range”.
In particular, he emphasised the broad audience showing an interest in Indian wine, with Sula’s UK customer base ranging “from Michelin starred restaurants to regional independent retailers and gastropubs.” In short, Parker concluded: “We see a future for Indian wine not just in all sectors of the UK trade but beyond that as well.”
As a sign of the growing support for Indian wine in the UK, last year saw Waitrose become the first UK supermarket to add the country’s wines to its portfolio in the form of a Viognier and Syrah.