The Elite Vintage Winery’s story is brief but fascinating. Begun in 2007, vines were planted with the initial purpose of supplying grapes to industry leader Sula, but soon it was making wines too. 16 Sula brands were produced in the Mudhol facility, which is strategically located in the north-western corner of northern Karnataka, a little over 200 kilometres (or five hours’ driving time) from Goa, a major wine market.
The tie-up with Sula is now in the past, and energetic Vinod Guraddi, the managing director, has steered the business to a new direction, developing Elite’s own range of brands, which are currently sold in six states across India. Its success is such that the Elite brand is ranked third in all Karnataka, although with a very specific goal. But there is a twist in the tale. Instead of a wide range of delicious wines, Elite Vintage Winery offers the typical plot of burgeoning middle-class entrepreneurial success in India.
The 142 acres of land under vine belong to farmers, who grow and supply grapes to Elite on the basis of long-term contracts. Elite’s chief viticulturist, Rudrappa Bidari, directs the technical work in the vineyards to ensure the supply of quality grapes. En route to the winery I met K P Patil, the farmer supplying Cabernet Sauvignon. A quiet elderly man in a white lungi, a long-sleeved white shirt and a Gandhi cap as protection against the burning midday sun, he proudly showed off his vineyard and very patiently allowed for my enthusiastic photography of the rocky soil.
The Dullolli brothers, owners of far greater landholdings, were equally hospitable and proud to display their Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Shiraz vineyards. Grape is only one of their crops; large fields are given over to the more profitable pomegranate. The vines are extremely well tended, evidence of the brothers’ commitment to quality. During lunch at the farmers’ cottage, I learnt that a son was studying medicine, and wondered whether one should anticipate the day when a combination of more profitable crops and ambitious parents will lead to higher prices for grapes or even a scarcity, thus placing the wine industry under pressure.
Elite’s success hinges on the understanding of, one, the nascent rural consumer’s fondness for sweet, simple products that are also inexpensive; and two, the fact that technical quality must never be compromised, regardless of the quality level. Under Guraddi’s skilful management, the winery has maintained a positive cash flow, made major capital investments to modernise, and become a prominent employer in the area. This entrepreneurial spirit should position Elite well to make the leap to exclusively produce dry table wines, if and when market demand is deemed profitable.
The name of Mudhol, deep in northern Karnataka’s countryside, involuntarily evokes visions of the village squelching under the monsoon rains. Patil’s land is five kilometres from the Dullolli brothers’, but the difference in soils could not be more striking. Cabernet enjoys the red schist soils, while Sauvignon, Chenin, Viognier and Shiraz thrive in the limestone-rich vineyards of the Dullollis. Whites make up 40 per cent of all vines in the farms that supply Elite.
All vines are planted on rootstocks, which are developed in the shade of the palm trees lining the dirt track leading from the main road to the winery. Both farmers use Y-trellis and spur pruning, though it would seem that Patil has two vines planted one next to the other, a pairing that is mirrored on the trellis.
Pre-growing-season pruning takes place as September turns to October, so the harvest starts in late January and is completed latest by early March. The vines are drip irrigated and sprayed and both manure and chemical fertilisers are applied to the soil as needed. The consultant winemaker is Rajesh Rasal from Pune, who supervises cellar operations all year round.
Technically well-made, sub-entry-level basic wines, all sealed with screw caps and sold in bottle sizes of 180–750 millilitres. None shows vintage on the label, probably to avoid annual registration of a ‘new’ label; the rural consumer is not interested anyway.
Except for the varietal labels, all wines are sweetened with the addition of fructose to appeal to the palate of the rural consumer and, therefore, it is only the Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc that the regular wine drinker could consider as basic table wines.
Varietal dry wines: a tiny bit of sugar (3g/l) in these basic wines, yet dry feel in the mouth; fruit-driven with modest concentration and short finish; inoffensive
Elite
basic range: the wines are fermented out
dry; a blend of different varieties; 35g/l fructose added to make them sweet
Elite Club: same as the basic range, but
with the addition of only 15g/l fructose
Branded labels: varietal wines with added
8g/l fructose and very funky labels illustrating scenes from Indian legends
Majic Port Wine: sweet red, 13% alcohol
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