SDU Winery
THE FACTS
THE STORY
SDU, an acronym for Strategic Dynamic and Universal, is the name of both the winery and other businesses run by the Hingorani couple, with Shambhavi the energy behind one of India’s latest boutique wine ventures. She is not new to grape growing as she started out as a supplier to Maharashtra-based wineries, but two events changed the course of her ambitions. The clients, focused exclusively on prices, were not particular about quality. Then, a tax law was introduced that penalised the use of grape imported from other states, and this hiked prices and made Nandi Valley grapes unattractive to the price-conscious Maharashtrian customers.
So, in 2003, Shambhavi decided to plant vines for their own purposes, and the TG Halli vineyard was born. Another 25-acre plot, off Gauribidanur town, became the second vineyard of SDU under the name ID Halli. Sparing no cost and following the advice of consulting oenologist Andrea Valentinuzzi, also consultant to Reveilo Wines in Nashik, the Hingoranis built a state-of-the-art winery in 2012 that can fill any wine geek with excitement.
SDU Winery is located half-way between the two vineyards to ensure that transport takes not more than 45 minutes. The building reflects thoughtful planning in both layout and ergonomics, and is yet stylish, perhaps with Andrea’s Italian touch.
The product offering is refreshingly simple: a mid-market and a premium range from each variety made exclusively from estate-grown fruit. If Shambhavi’s single-minded determination continues, the Indian wine industry will enter an unexplored and hugely exciting territory.
THE ESTATE
As far as quality is concerned, the philosophy of SDU rests totally on the vineyards. Shambhavi and Andrea together share the belief that wine is made in the vineyards and growing their own fruit enables them to control quality and ensure maximum consistency across vintages.
They work with three varieties, one being Chardonnay, which is not often seen in India as it seems unhappy and does not crop well in most places. The two black grapes are Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, which enjoy the red loamy and gravely soils. Patches of limestone and clay are to be found in the TG Halli and ID Halli vineyards respectively. Both locations are drip irrigated to ensure optimal hydric stress. The vines are cordon-trained and spur-pruned with the yields kept very low in Indian terms: 2.5 tons per acre for the Deva and 1.5 tons per acre for the Reserva wines.
All winery machinery was imported from Italy and the laboratory is a wine technologist’s dream with the latest kit. The Chardonnay as well as the Cabernet and Syrah are de-stemmed before the berries are crushed. Once fermentation is finished, the Reserva wines continue the elevation with nine months of barrel ageing in French oak barrels. Attention to detail is such that the water used in the filling machine is micro-filtered to ensure absolute purity. Not surprisingly, the bottles, the caps and the labels also come from Italy. Until dispatch, all the stock is held at the winery in temperature-controlled storage.
THE WINES
THE LABELS
- Chardonnay
- Syrah
- Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserva
- Chardonnay
- Syrah
- Cabernet Sauvignon
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