MUMBAI WINES GROVER ZAMPA OFFERS REASONABLY PRICED WINES

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Michael Hepworth

MUMBAI WINES TRYING TO BREAK INTO UNITED STATES MARKET

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GROVER ZAMPA OFFERS REASONABLY PRICED WINES

By Michael Hepworth

Brentwood,CA(Spiritsman)6/4/16/–We recently got the opportunity to meet with the head people from GROVER ZAMPA Vineyards From Mumbai, India, and discovered that they are serious about getting a share of the 450 million bottles of wine sold in Southern California. They accept the fact that it will be a long Slog, but by going directly through Indian restaurants in the region, at least they can see some momentum.

There are six different wines in the portfolio, and they all go well with the spicy Indian food. Next time I am in an Indian restaurant I will see if they have the wine. This particular tasting was held at India Tandoori restaurant in Brentwood, California, where the owner is a good friend of the winery.

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The vineyard itself came into being in 1992 in the Nandi Hills and Nashik Valley where the climate Is fresh and the soil is very fertile. Wine expert Michael Rolland has been advising Grover Zampa since 1995 at the vineyard which is located about 25 miles North East of Bangalore. The soil is lime rich, very gravelly and well drained, and with the natural protection of the Nandi Hills to protect from the monsoon season. The oldest Grover vines are 15 years old, and the average age of the vines is nine years.

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The Sauvignon Blanc has won medals at wine shows in India and Hong Kong and has lots of fruity flavors like pineapple and guava. The Viognier was an interesting choice and had an overall aroma of honeysuckle, spiced pears and apricots. More bronze medals in Hong Kong for this wine which goes particularly well with light spicy sea food dishes.

The Rose consists entirely of Shiraz grapes and has a very light fruity taste of berries and light that goes well with mildly spiced fish and poultry. Again no more than bronze\awards for this wine, but they do have one major fan in Jancis Robinson. The world renowned wine writer made the bold claim in 2005 that it was ‘one of the best rose wines in the world.’

The Grover Collection Cabernet Shiraz is a robust wine that pairs well with veal, pork, kebabs and spicy food. It has won a silver in wine competitions in New York and Hong Kong and is heavy on the blackcurrant and blackberry.

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Former tennis pro and movie star Vijay Amritraj is an investor and spokesperson for the wine, and he has his own release with the Reserve Collection White. A Viognier grape, it goes well With Indian Coastal cuisine, and best showing so far for this very fruity wine is a silver at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards in 2014.

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