The Sanskrit word Aurva means, ‘from the earth’ and it was the most fitting name that rolled off our tongues as we all gathered at the Chandon winery in Dindori, outside Nashik recently to witness the launch their first still wine, a red Shiraz no less. Chandon of course is famous globally for its mid-range sparkline wines which it makes in five countries – Argentina, Brazil, China, Australia, and the US, besides India. The vineyards collectively spread over 1400 hectares makes it the largest in the world devoted exclusively to sparkling wine. But Aurva is special, because it is the first time that Chandon has launched a still wine.
Chandon, was first set up by the storied French champagne house Moët & Chandon in 1959 in Argentina to popularise the concept of sparkling wines around the world. Besides the name itself, it also shares the genetic imprint in terms of the kind of work and creativity that goes into the creation of new wines, all of which are in full display un Aurva.
Chandon set up its Indian operations in Nashik in 2014, with a fabulous facility consisting of a winery and a vineyard spread over 19 acres of land at the foot hills of the Western Ghats. The valley’s wine-grape friendliness comes from its 600-metre elevation, red earth, and extreme weather – hot summers, intense monsoons and cold winters. The winery is quite a sight, a slick stretch of buildings juxtaposed against steep slopes and surrounded by vines. It is from here that Chandon has s released some of the most India’s more popular and affordable sparkling wines for close to a decade now.
Aurva though is almost diametrically opposite to a white sparkling wine – which is why so many of us who were gathered there, were curious to see how this would play out. The Indian soil and climatic condition, as is well known, is particularly well suited for Shiraz grapes, from which Chandon makes its very successful sparkling rose. Chandon Rose was the creation of 31-year-old Kaushal Khairnar, Chandon India’s head winemaker, considered a whiz kid and the youngest of Chandon’s impressive global list of cellar masters, and his mentor Dan Buckle, Chandon Australia’s winemaking director and a `master in the art of Shiraz winemaking’.
Aurva, in that sense was a natural progression for the duo. Kaushal understood the delicate nature of the hand-picked fruit that was being brought into the winery. Dan, who has possibly seen enough big and boisterous styled brands of Shiraz Down Under to last a lifetime, too was more tuned in to bring forth a gentler and more elegant expression of this exquisite grape.
Both winemakers agreed that they would try and develop a subtle and nuanced style, one that shows fruit and texture rather than a heavily oaked one with jammy over-extracted notes. A lot of Shiraz currently made in the world, sadly, follow that latter style and what one gets is a wine which is rich and fleshy with lots of smoky aromas but is hard to drink more than a glass of, even when served alongside food.
Shiraz though is a popular grape among Indian winemakers. Not only because its cultivation is relatively easier with our soil and climate, but also because it is suited for Indian palates and pairs well with our heavily spiced cuisines. Grover currently leads the pack with their Insignia range that is a delicately handled single-estate 100% Shiraz, each put through a different oak-ageing regime.
Another top wine is the KRSMA Shiraz (more Syrah as the wine is quite old world in its approach), which comes off a small section of their vineyard in Hampi, that is entirely planted with bush vines, the kind that are not only harder to grow and maintain but can also be quite the backbreaker of an effort during harvest. It’s a big wine and needs some serious decanting before it opens up. Fratelli makes a lovely Cabernet Franc-Shiraz blend at Akluj, near Solapur, that’s best enjoyed young. And of course, the ubiquitous Sula has a few versions as well, from a daily quaffer to the more serious and broodier Rasa.
Aurva though feels to be in a different league. In our tasting and food pairing, it came off great as an aperitif, as a starter wine and of course with the main course. If someone would have given me a chocolate cake at 90% cocoa content levels with a rose petal garnish, I’d think I would have daringly tried that too with this wine.
Kaushal has shown some serious winemaking prowess and maturity here, making a wine that many an experienced winemaker too would struggle to put together. Dan’s guidance surely would have played a role but the choice of crop, its handling, and the collective decision of all the team players to agree to this style of a wine would have also been critical influences in what was finally put out for consumers to try.
The wine is priced as ₹4,250 and it would be a great add to our premium home shelves, especially with the festive season around the corner. In the north, where winter gently approaches, this could be the perfect fireside wine for those cold frosty evenings.
All in all, we came back satisfactorily impressed, by visiting a world class winemaking facility that, by the reassurance that big houses don’t just make commercial wine styles, and by the fact that India can make decent wines which can define our style of wines for the times to come. For me, at a very personal (peeve) level, one most crucial win will remain the name – Aurva; finally the West can be flummoxed by what the word means or how it is to be pronounced and we Indians can be the ones proudly breaking it down for them.
