• Colour

  White

• Vintage

  2009

• Producer

  Grover Vineyards Lim

• Country

  INDIA

• Region

  NANDI HILLS

• Product code

  26GRO1H2009

• Availability

  11 cases

Producer Information

In the 1970s Kanwal Grover was in the business of importing machinery and technical equipment into India, mainly from France. His visits to France and growing appreciation for the local culture of food and wine could not help but plant a few grape seeds for thought. One day Kanwal happened to read an article about George Vesselle, Champagne Mumm's technical director, visiting China and making wine there. This inspired him - if China of all places could make wine then surely there was terroir to be found in India. Kanwal immediately invited Vesselle to visit and in 1981 Vesselle agreed to a stopover in India for two days, where not a single wine grape was grown. With Vesselle's help, Kanwal conducted experiments in various areas around India to discover the best place to grow wine grapes. They planted 33 different varietals in areas focused around Maharashtra, the traditional area for table grape growing, and further south in Karnataka. Kanwal and Vesselle studied the results and by 1988 it was clear to them that the Nandi Hills in Karnataka showed the most promise. Grover Vineyards' first wines were launched in the Indian market in 1992. That same year Veuve Clicquot took a stake in the company. Then during a visit to Bordeaux in 1995, Kanwal met Michel Rolland and hired him as their consultant winemaker, a position he maintains to this day.

Today Grover Vineyards is managed by Kanwal's son, Kapil Grover, producing around a hundred thousand cases annually. Kapil's focus is first and foremost to make quality wines while seeking to continue to grow production 15-20% year on year.

Karishma Grover, Kapil's daughter, represents the third generation of Grover Vineyards. She recently graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Viticulture / Enology, having done an internship at Cakebread Cellars in Napa. She is currently based in Bombay (Mumbai) where she is studying sales and marketing.

The winery has planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot have been attempted but they just don't work!)

using Dog Ridge rootstock because it adapts well to the moisture and offers protection against nematodes (common soil-borne pests). This area does not yet have phylloxera. 70% of their production is red wine, around 25% is white and the rest is rose.