Rajdheer Wines

THE FACTS

Location: Nashik
State: Maharashtra
Founded: 2006
Major shareholders: Jadhav family
Total area: 100 acres
Area under vine: 15 acres
Production: 500,000 litres
Google map: n/a

THE STORY

With the introduction of a Maharashtra state wine policy in 2001, wineries sprung up like mushrooms after rain. As the Jadhavs had been growing table grapes and pomegranate for years, they thought they would seize the opportunity to make better margins as well as a value-added product, and Rajdheer Wines was founded as a family business in 2003.

 

Of the hundred-acre family plot located in Bhilwad village, 75 kilometres north of Nashik, 15 acres were turned over to wine grapes. The remaining supply was procured from farmers in the environs of Nashik. The vines planted in the local black and brown soil were pergola trained and a yield of six tons per acre was allowed.

 

The maiden vintage produced 40,000 litres of wine and full capacity was reached soon thereafter. Rajdheer boasts of more than a dozen wines in its portfolio and exported to the UK in as early as May 2004. The varieties include the classic Indian selection of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, but Bangalore Blue and Thompson Seedless is also used for the low-end wines.

 

One of the notable product developments at Rajdheer is its bio wine, a concoction of table wine and several herbal extracts, such as aloe vera, tulsi and ashwagandha. Dr Shrinivasa Amarnath, the scientist who pioneered the recipe based on 15 years of research, claims that ayurvedic herbs in wine improve its health-enhancing effects. Though the product is said to enjoy popularity among foreigners visiting Pondicherry in southern India, the sample I was given to taste smelled of multiple wine faults, so I politely declined.

 

Today, the winery has scaled back from its ambitious beginnings and markets only 10,000 cases under its own brands, mostly in the sub-entry-level range. An overwhelming majority of the wines is produced according to Sula’s specifications, who purchases it in bulk.

 

Rajesh Jadhav can, therefore, afford the time to act as secretary to the All India Wine Producers Association, a body that represents the interests of Indian vintners.

THE WINES

The wines I tasted were overly oxidised with excessive volatile acidity, making them entirely unpalatable. The brands are listed below in the event that the reader encounters them on the market. Each brand had, and possibly still does have, a variety of labels.


THE LABELS

  • Le Vino
  • Orina
  • Aurum
  • Glory
  • Dream Riders
  • Surai
  • BIO wines

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