In order to flex their oh-so valuable vino palates, Wi-Not members tasted some worthy wines from the south of the country. Apart from wine regions in the western belt, of which Nashik undoubtedly is at the fore front, there are some regions, blessed with an exceptional terroir in the southern parts too. Wineries situated in this belt are leaving no stone unturned in order to make it big in the wine making scene. One such house is Alpine Winery.
Alpine Wineries, a part of a large and well established business entity called the SPR Group, was founded by an eminent visionary Mr. Raghavendra Gowda, who could only do so after a decade long study and continuous learning in Europe and other parts of the world.
Alpine residers in the Kaveri Valley region, a magnificent belt situated beside the Kaveri basin, in the state of Karnataka. It boasts of a rich history and is home to many wild life reserves which is a small part of its magical panorama. The valley is surrounded by hills, lush green paddy fields and, of course, the mighty Kaveri River, because of which the place experiences a cool climate congenial for making worthy red wines. The summers are warm but not hot and the winters are cool and pleasant. Red sandy loam soil is abundant in this valley which lends the wines a dense and rich character. The vineyards are spread across an area of 500 hectares. Countries like Brazil, Switzerland and France have also put in their efforts by providing technical expertise in terms of machinery, equipments, soil analysis and mapping. In nutshell, the winery is equipped with the most up to date technology. The winery has also gone a notch ahead by collaborating with Stéphane Derenoncourt which provides the technical knowhow for winemaking. He has also maneuvered Mr. Francis Ford Coppala’s (the legendry director of Godfather) wine project in Lake county to success, acting as the chief winemaker.
Some of the wines that we tasted are as follows:
2011 Vindiva Oro Cabernet Sauvignon + Shiraz – Red Wine–
Beautiful dark ruby hue, with fading rims that suggest a bit of bottle aging, nice aromas of water melons and other red fruits, subtly spiced with a hint of rose as well. Palate is medium bodied with a surprisingly high but favorable acidity. Good spicy background with soft tannins and perhaps a leathery finish.
2010 Vindiva Shiraz – Red Wine–
Medium ruby robe, nose of mashed red fruits mingling with hints of mint and chocolate. Medium bodied palate with interesting notes of red fruits, cola and mild sweet spices like cinnamon with a good tannic grip, medium acidity and a short finish
2010 Vindiva Estate Reserve Shiraz– Rich, dark and somber in appearance, quite a complex but pleasant nose involving characters of warm spices like pepper, rose, cocoa and red fruits like cranberries. Medium-full bodied wine with edgy tannins, red fruit flavors and peppery attack on the palate with a noted elegant finish.
The wines are structured and hold an old-world charm to them. They aren’t the easiest to develop your palates but surely are something you’d like to see maturing in to a worthy drink you’d like to share on your dinner tables in a few years time. The wines are yet to hit the local shelves and we await to see how the turn the market around.