Her fascinating equation with wines

Challenged by difficult situations, her sister suggested that she studied further in a different country. What made easy for her to choose France was her fluency in French. She looked up different courses and found one on wine. It was then an uncharted territory for Indian women, recounts Namratha Prashanth, MD, Wine Equation, to Vikal Samdariya in this riveting interaction.

Never one to stay in her comfort zone, it has been a roller coaster ride during these last four years for Namratha Prashanth, MD, Wine Equation. In late 2016, she made a bold decision to follow her passion and move to Bordeaux. After a few months of paperwork, she winged her way to France. February 2017 would mark the beginning of a new phase in her life.

“As excited as I was, I also felt anxious. Too much was at stake. I had left my daughter who was 9 years old and my dog who was eleven years old, in the care of my parents. I was determined to succeed. I held tight in my hand a little note that my daughter had scribbled before I left. ‘Drink wine & study well Mama – Love, Shloka,’ it read. She has been a brave child. It is such a privilege to be her mother,” she recollected. Mind you, it has been more than three years that they have lived away from each other. “And now, as I am recounting all these, I am on my way to Paris airport to pick up my daughter who flew from Bangalore alone upto Paris,” Namratha disclosed.

Diving into Wines

Bordeaux has been a sort of an adventure for her. Conquering her fears while living alone in Chateau Siran, she was surrounded by eighty-eight hectares of vines and woods.

She said excitedly that her student life at her school in INSEEC was learn wine marketing and management. “You can read it all in my book that is to be published soon,” she added. Recounting her love for the world of wines, she said, “I had learnt about wine when I studied hospitality(2000-2004), thanks to my Professor, Bobby George. At a later stage in life, I was challenged by some difficult situations. That was when my sister suggested that I studies further in a different country,” disclosed Namratha.

What made things easier for her was her fluency in French. She looked up different courses and found one on wine. It was an uncharted territory for Indian women. To add to that, she was only 37 but was not risk averse.

“My teachers at the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore had taught me about wine culture and the conviviality that wine brings on the table. This helped me to deep dive into learning more about wines and the wine industry as a whole,” observed the dynamic lady.

Genesis of a Wine Label

Talking about her wine label, she says its genesis was at Vinexpo a few years back when she ran into Corinne Chevrier. The latter invited her to visit her vineyards in Blaye. “There she walked by the vines touching their leaves and explaining to me that the growing season is almost like the gestation period for women during pregnancy. Lots of care needs to be taken. The harvest is like delivering a child. We laughed. We got along very well,” remembered Namratha with a smile lingering on her lips.

Corinne belongs to the fourth generation of a family of winemakers, and when Namratha asked her to teach her the art of wine making, she readily agreed. It was at a later stage that she thought about bringing out a separate label. At that point in time, Namratha was already working on branding for a client in London. “So, I felt confident to come out with a different label for wine when I was working with Corinne. My brother in law, Satya Kumar, who is also my mentor, made sure he gave me the business acumen needed to succeed,” the entrepreneur affirmed.