Alpine Wineries

THE FACTS

LocationChamarajanagar (the Kaveri valley, Mysore-Mandya sub-region)
State: Karnataka
Founded: 2006
Major shareholdersRaghavendra Gowda
Total area: 500 hectares (1 ha = 2.5 acres)
Area under vine: 100 hectares
Production: 750,000 litres
Google map: click here

THE STORY

Perched on gentle slopes leading down to the river Kaveri, Alpine Wineries produces wines of purity and precision exclusively from estate-grown fruit. The concept of ‘alpine’ in the southern Indian state of Karnataka is befuddling, but reveals the inspiration behind the winery.


The scion of a respected Bangalore business family with diversified interests in sugar, molasses and spirits production, real estate, granite mining and liquor distribution, Raghu was fortunate to have extensive ancestral land as well as financial roots. He also had experience in brand management as he joined the family business of wholesale liquor upon graduating from school. However, when the government of Karnataka created a state monopoly for the wholesale of alcohol, Raghu decided it was time to change course.

 

As his girlfriend was Austrian, he found himself doing an internship at a producer in Styria, which awakened an interest in his own landholdings back home in Karnataka. Raghu does not do anything by half measures; he hired a viticultural professor from the University of Vienna to select 29 varieties and a range of rootstocks. To explore the Kaveri terroir, the initial 30 hectares were planted with 63 combinations of clones and rootstocks, once the EU-certified plant material had endured the cumbersome process of pre- and post-import quarantines.

 

The experiment captured Bordeaux consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt’s interest, and he has been involved ever since. Raghu spends a considerable time in Austria, so the routine of regularly photographing vines, transmitting climatic data through their own weather station, using an app to control irrigation, and working with an intricate spread-sheet to manage all aspects of both vineyard and winemaking is as indispensable to him as it is useful to Stéphane.

 

The wines are available across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi and Goa as well as on the export market. However, there is still a need to blow Alpine’s trumpet to get its wines into the consumers’ glasses.

THE ESTATE

The winery is 130 kilometres south of Bangalore and 60 kilometres east of Mysore, its estate spreading along the river Kaveri. The peaks of the Bangalore Hills and the Nilgiri ranges are visible in the distance, and hence the winery’s montane name. The surrounding area is rural and overwhelmingly agricultural, the extensive corn fields and neatly cultivated rice paddies intercepted only by colourful Hindu temples.

 

It is unprecedented for a single winery to own so much acreage all in one piece, but of the 400 hectares only a hundred are planted with vines. To keep energies balanced, the vineyard’s layout plan kept Hindu Vaastu philosophy in mind. The 29 grape varieties are all cordon-trained on double Guyot, and the winery has a poly tunnel as it quarantined all imported vines for six months before planting in the vineyards.

 

The soil is red loam with a high clay content (45 per cent), which necessitates the regular introduction of organic matter, achieved by using a cover crop. The pink plumes of some of these grasses tint the blue horizon of the evening sky as the mulching tractor rolls by and day labourers busy themselves with scythes and hoes.

 

Cover crops help combat the spread of termites, their infestation a constant battle. The destruction of their mounds is an obvious first defence, but Raghu has also observed that termites dislike traversing rich vegetation and nor do they eat rootstock that is older than six months. Nature is by and large under control, though stem borers do tend to systematically eat the inside of the woody bits of vines, and apple and garden weavers munch young green shoots at night. In an effort to promote organic pest control, the use of chemical pesticides will soon be replaced by a mix of neem oil and nettle.

 

Stéphane Derenoncourt favours deficit irrigation in order to keep the vines optimally stressed. A staggering four kilometres of pipeline was laid to complement the output of 22 wells, as the water table of the estate is too low.

 

Mytos, a weather station connected to the agricultural database of the University of Basel in Switzerland, provides fortnightly forecasts and advice for the viticultural team. At a capital investment of € 8,000, cutting edge technology does not come cheap.

 

The vineyard’s uncompromising commitment is matched in the winery. It is almost like stepping into a temple; it radiates tranquillity, order and the spirituality of wine itself. Of course, it has the latest kits and boasts of a state-of-the-art, fully computerised temperature-management system, which allows each tank to be individually programmed. Machinery and equipment were imported from 18 countries in all, increasing the scale of initial capital investment significantly, but making operations 50 per cent cheaper annually because of lower labour costs. In addition to technology, the meticulous organisation of the winery makes it possible to mistake it for one in Austria or Germany.


THE WINES

The Alpine style is characterised by ripeness of fruit and tantalising freshness. The whites are crisp, elegant and mineral – delicious. The mid-range and premium reds show a fine balance between fruit and oak, highlighting purity while the spicy tones remain complementary.

 

As the vines age, concentration will gather momentum. At this stage, the true cellaring potential of the red wines can only be conjectured at by tasting the 2010 vintage. I believe that with continued precision and attention to detail Alpine wines will awe crowds of wine consumers.

 

The launch of more labels is anticipated. The Chardonnay-Viognier blend is particularly attractive with its fragrant apricot fruits, floral tones and zesty freshness, but it must really be in the consumer’s glass by the first Diwali after harvest. The Marsanne-Vermentino cuvée is an honest, crisp and light-bodied wine, easily sipped at in the unforgiving heat of the monsoon sun.

 

As for the reds, there is a quest for perfection in the super-premium Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon blend of the winery, and the Cabernet Franc shows good potential as well. Last but not least, the Tannat-Grenache blend, made from very ripe fruit picked at 29 Brix in late May, is both sweet (90 grams per litre) and highly alcoholic (17 per cent abv) whilst miraculously retaining an exquisite balance, thus reminiscent of an outstanding LBV or decent vintage port.


THE LABELS

Only a quarter of the impressive range of labels that Alpine Wineries will soon be marketing is currently available. The whites are made of Sauvignon Blanc and the reds of Shiraz. However, the basic red is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. There are three tiers in the product pyramid.

ORO: clean and bright, entry-level wines of attractive freshness and generous fruits

  • white: semi-dry Sauvignon Blanc with 20g/l residual sugar
  • red: classic Indian Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon blend, dry with 5g/l residual sugar


Vindiva Classic: mid-range, bone-dry wines of more sophistication and better concentration

  • white: made of Sauvignon Blanc with crisp citrus fruits and intense aromatics
  • red: either pure Shiraz or Shiraz-dominated with some Cabernet Sauvignon, dependent on the vintage; an additional hint of sweet spices as a result of barrel maturation


Vindiva Reserve Valley of Dreams
: top-of-the-range bone-dry wines with purity of varietal expression and finesse

  • Sauvignon Blanc: there may be a tiny added bit of Sauvignon Gris
  • pure Shiraz
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