Wine is not just an object of pleasure, but an object of knowledge; and the pleasure depends on the knowledge,” said an English philosopher Roger Scruton once.
It all began when the Managing Director of Aska Beverages Private Limited, Rajbir Singh, met a man called Weber (also his friend) who informed him that Bodega Iniesta was looking out for partners in India to launch their new wine brand titled Red and White Wine 116.
Bodega Iniesta was created in the 1990s when José Antonio Iniesta, father of Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, started this project with a plantation of ten hectares of vineyards. He continued his work in viticulture by planting different varieties and increasing the vine-growing area to the current 120 hectares to create the fine sophisticated 116. 116 Red and White wine was named after the Spanish footballer who scored the winning goal in the 116th minute of extra time and made his country win the World Cup in 2010.
“Since then the popularity of Iniesta has only been increasing. Hence we decided to launch the brand in our country for all Iniesta fans,” Singh tells Guardian 20.
Aska Beverages, headed by Singh, is one of the trusted import houses engaged in sourcing the world’s finest liquors and wines. “The reason why we chose to launch Bodega Iniesta’s wine is because Iniesta brand cultivates their own grape farms while other brands source from the outside. Besides, a huge name Andres Iniesta is associated with it. Also would like to add that we don’t use chemical sprays during the cultivation of grapes, it is purely organic based,” adds Singh.
Bodega Iniesta is in charge of the whole process from the vineyards to the commercialisation of the wines. At the beginning of the 2000s, an idea began to take shape for Antonio to build his own wine cellar in order to produce his wines from his own vineyards. This dream became a reality in 2010, when the construction of the wine cellar was complete. That same year, the first wine was produced.
“We want our wine to be tasted by all the people of the country,” says Enrique Medina Lorenzo, Export Manager of Bodega Iniesta.
Recently launching the ‘116 Red and White Wine’ at Delhi’s Blue Door Café in Khan Market with international business manager Lorenzo , Singh says, “This wine is specially introduced for the middle class people in India. I am glad that am associated with the Bodega Iniesta Brand.”
IBNA Research, a division of Indian Business News Agency (IBNA), in order to help manufacturers and exporters get a better understanding of the Indian wine market has launched a new market research report titled “Indian Wine Market Forecast to 2018” which states that the demand of both domestic and foreign wines over the past five years has been showing a steady growth. The primary reason suggested in the report is the strong economic growth and increasing wine culture among the new wealthy Indian middle class combined with a greater exposure to western lifestyle that has created hunger for different categories of wines.
“We want our wine to be tasted by all the people of the country,” says Enrique Medina Lorenzo, Export Manager of Bodega Iniesta.
Singh too shared similar thoughts on the wine industry in India: “Wine is a great segment from last 50 years, the ratio of which has been increasing every year. These days, even doctors are recommending wine but yes it should be in limited proportions. Every year the graph is increasing. Our country is still learning the global wine cultures. But, go to any urban party and you will find a middle class family serving wine there. If the consumption is increasing, distribution automatically will also increase.”
On being asked during the launch as to what other products their brand partner Bodega Iniesta have in the pipeline, pat came Singh’s reply, “They are working on upmarket brands. Basically they are working on Corazon segments which are costly and aged for a longer period. We have planned to launch only two brands at a time.”
116 Red&White Wine at a glance
VARIETIES : Macabeo, Moscatel.
FERMENTATION : 28 days with selected yeast, temperature of fermentation: 15ºC Brief pre fermentative maceration after the pass through “Boreal” at 10º C.
WINE TESTING: Pale yellow with green trim. Bright and with little tear. The nose comes first with a very cool touch of green apple and little by little one can slowly appreciate more mature notes, but always with white fruit with a characteristic fennel background. We can also denote a small flower note, like soap. Fresh fragrance when you smell. Served with a fruity character a bit strong, but not unpleasant acidity. After taste and with a very nice critic hint.
BASIC FOR THE PAIRING: Not very fatty fish, salads and pasta in general.
RECOMMENDATION: Preserve at a constant temperature and below 16ºC. 80% of humidity and darkness. Consumption: Temperature: 6ºC.
PRESENTATION: 75 cl Bordeaux Green Elite bottle. Cork: natural.