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York Sparkling Cuvée Brut – the stand out Blanc de Blancs
Indians love bubbles, and drink a lot of them. Almost 30 years after Shamrao Chougule's Indage launched Marquis de Pompadour, the first sparkling wine, and that too, made by méthode traditionelle, the timeline has been dotted with new variants from Indage (Joie, Ivy, Tiger Hill) and entrants – Sula, Vinsura, Zampa, Chandon, Fratelli and the latest to join the club – York. vino india spoke to the Gurnani brothers, Ravi (who manages the commercial activitiy) and Kailash (who is the winemaker) to understand what prompted them to take the leap. |
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The York Winery in Nashik, Maharashtra |
| When Kailash Gurnani was absorbing base wine making for sparklings in Australia at Chandon in the Yarra Valley, little did he realize that in 2011 he would collaborate with them to make the Chandon Indian sparkling wine from his family owned winery in Nashik, India. The partnership not only deepened Kailash's understanding of the whole méthode traditionnelle process especially post base winemaking, it was almost as if the decision to make their own sparkling wine when the winemaking contract with Chandon ended was made for the stake-holders at York Winery. |
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The Gurnani's at the Indian Ambassador's Residence in Paris: Kailash, Dipika and Ravi |
| Kailash chose Chenin Blanc for the sparkling project because "it grows very well in Nashik and has the versatility to suit the winemakers' needs. The chosen Chenin plot near Nashik is 4 - 5 degrees cooler than the city, and this helps in slow and steady ripening of grapes and helps maintain a good acid profile which is perfect for sparkling wine". In 2013, Kailash found the Chenin base wine to be great and the first batch of 6000 bottles of the sparkling cuvée was laid to rest, from where it was disgorged after 13 months and finishes with a residual sugar of 10.5 grams per litre. |
| Did Kailash think that the market for Indian sparkling was crowded? "Yes, maybe York are late entrants but it was my intention to master the process completely and be confident of releasing a quality wine". York created a niche with a mono cru (100% Chenin Blanc from one single parcel allowing complete control over viticulture) blanc de blancs and a distinctly premium packaging". Ravi adds, "with our choice of méthode traditionnelle, we have opted out of the volume game and have a superior product, which is very sensitively priced!" |
| Ravi told vino india that he was adamant to stay away from a black and/or gold packaging. His brief to the design team was simple – wrap the white look in elegance and use patterns, borders and textures. Besides lending a richness to the feel, the white packaging with golden highlights makes York sparkling stand out in the to-be crowded shelves. |
| And while the product was always a 100% Chenin Blanc, it was only in tastings that it occurred to the Gurnani brothers, and some in their tasting group, that the cuvée had the blanc de blancs style. With no known objections to using this nomenclature internationally, York made last minute changes in design and delayed by a couple of weeks the launch of what was then designated the first "blanc de blancs" sparkling cuvée in India. |
| Kailash is very proud of this wine and thinks his wine is light, crisp, refreshing, and yet it has complex attributes of a true méthode traditionelle sparkling wine. By presenting an approachable, lean, complex and aromatic wine, he wants the consumer to look beyond the celebratory pop and enjoy every sip of the wine long after they have opened the bottle. |
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York Sparkling Cuvée Brut |
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| Fortunately, the winery could comply with the draconian labelling requirements and the York Sparkling Cuvée Brut is available to privileged oenophiles in Maharashtra, Delhi & Rajasthan. Ravi adds, "owing to limited stocks, availability will be through premium outlets". The wine making team at York is already experimenting with a rosé, late disgorgement and dosage – options that could be introduced once the sparkling is established in the market. We will wait, but might raid the cellars if our patience runs out. And having tasted several bottles of the sparkling cuvée brut as they rested in different stages of infancy since 2013, it might well be worth it! |
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| Team vino india followed up a meeting in Delhi with the Gurnani Brothers to get inputs for this article. Bouquets or brickbats, please let us know what you think and do tell us where vino india could improve. Email us at info@vinoindia.in |
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