Moët & Chandon enters India

(Mydigitalfc) - Champagne maker’s Chandon Brut and Brut Rosé will be produced in Nashik

The fight for the country’s largest selling premium wine brand is getting hotter. Sula Vineyards, India’s No.1 brand by sales, and market leader with 80 per cent market share in the sparkling Indian wines segment, would be challenged at its home turf by French champagne major Moët & Chandon, the world’s leading champagne house since 1743.

Moët Hennessy India, a subsidiary of Moët Hennessy, part of LVMH-Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury group, has launched two luxury wine brands Chandon Brut and Chandon Brut Rosé.

Chandon would be the first offering from Moët Hennessy Estates & Wines to be produced locally in India’s largest grape growing Nashik region in Maharashtra. The company at present imports and sells a range of its international luxury brands in India such as Ardbeg, Belvedere, Cloudy Bay, Dom Pérignon, Glenmorangie, Hennessy, Krug, Moët & Chandon, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot.

“Moët Hennessy has traditionally been a pioneer in developing sparkling wines in new locations around the world and India is the latest example,” Mark F Bedingham, managing director of Moët Hennessy Asia Pacific, said.

He said Nashik is certainly the wine-making heartland of India and offers grape growing conditions that are conducive to creating world-class sparkling wines.

“With the launch of Chandon, we aim to bring wine-making and the wine culture in India to new heights,” Bedingham said. He said wine excellence is a priority for Moët Hennessy Estates & Wines and Chandon brand would allow the company to share its passion for quality and commitment to the French legacy with the Indian market.

The Chandon Brut wine made from Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir carries a price tag of Rs 1,200 per bottle. The Chandon Brut Rosé made from Shiraz and Pinot Noir cost Rs 1,400.

“The Chandon brand will be available at select wine retailers, hotels, restaurants and bars in Mumbai city from this weekend,” the company said. According to the company, made in India brand would also be introduced in New Delhi next month and all other major cities across India through 2014.

Chandon has been created by Moët Hennessy’s team of international and local wine-makers and viticulturists, closely working with grape growers from the Nashik region. The wines have been crafted combining the finest local grapes with the centuries-old methode traditionnelle, the traditional method used for making champagne, which entails a second fermentation in the bottle that gives it the characteristic fizz and to ensure the signature Chandon style, the company said.