Pricing is a major factor

Vishal Kadakia, Founder, Wine Park, says champagne consumption is yet in its nascent stage in India, especially for the luxury and lesser known brands. Also the tag of it being a “celebratory” drink is not helping its growth.

A majority of consumers are drawn towards inexpensive sparkling wines such as Prosecco and even to some domestic brands. One of the main obstacles could be because champagne is perceived only as a celebration wine or as an aperitif and party starter. But champagne can be versatile when it comes to food pairing. Most of the times you will not see people who look forward to having champagne with their meals, says Vishal Kadakia, Founder, Wine Park. About the demand, he says champagne consumption is yet in a nascent stage in India, especially for the luxury and lesser known brands. “I hope it will grow over the next few years as wine culture gets stronger among globetrotting Indians,” he explains. Vishal says Mumbai & Delhi have more wine and champagne enthusiasts. Bangalore is another upcoming city.
Sharing his insights on whether Indian wines, Prosecco and cava are posing a challenge to champagne, he says” “Yes, Prosecco and Indian sparkling wines are being consumed a lot more than champagne, mainly because of low pricing. Another reason is that these wines are more approachable and make for easy drinking. Some of them also have a slight sweetness which is preferred by many Indian consumers. Marketing also plays a massive role in making
these wine brands more known to end consumers.”

Evolving Culture

As for the future of champagne in India, Vishal points out that the champagne culture in India is evolving. He says with the rise of sommeliers and restaurant executives with wine knowledge, it will be interesting to see if India’s growing wine consumption is able to accommodate more champagnes in it. About steps he would take to promote champagne culture, he says marketing and knowing customer preferences will make it easier to identify quality champagnes brand, and also making their labels easier to understand, there are some things to think about. For promoting his brands, he says, “We are turning to social media (Instagram, Facebook) to grab the attention of potential consumers and educate them on our wines, the stories behind them and where they come from. We also host tastings for the trade and F&B media so they get a clear idea about our wines and their flavour profiles.” Wine Park imports three champagnes, namely Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve NV, Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV and Philippe Gonet Blanc de Blancs Brut NV. “Billecart-Salmon is a very well-known quality champagne brand whereas Philippe Gonet is a boutique producer of champagne. Both are family-owned and operated by champagne houses, says Vishal.”