Stéphane de Meurville took over as Managing Director, Moët Hennessy India, less than a year ago, and he has wasted no time in sizing up our drinking habits. Understandably, high import duties and the liquor policy in different states keep him on his toes, but De Meurville finds the time to identify influencers (like Bollywood’s style queen Sonam Kapoor) and take notes at big Indian weddings (it was at a recent do in Goa that he realised just how popular sparkling wine was becoming). As per IWSR, the leading provider of data on wines and spirits, the Champagne market in India stands at 30,000 cases a year while sparkling wine above a price point of ₹1,000 is at 32,000 cases a year (volumes for 2016). This could be one of the reasons why Chandon is getting a lot of attention this festive season, with the wine brand roping in couturier Manish Malhotra to design two special edition bottles for their popular Chandon Brut. “After all, Manish epitomises everything to do with weddings,” says Sophia Sinha, senior marketing head, Chandon India, adding that most brides dream of wearing his lehengas on their big day. The bottles, with pink and gold floral motifs draped across them, just like one of Malhotra’s celebrated saris or sherwanis, will look pretty at both weddings and Diwali bars.
The new reveller
The Chandon offering is the latest from Moët Hennessy India, part of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury group) which is behind some of the country’s top liquor brands like Moët, Hennessy, Dom Pérignon, Glenmorangie and Belvedere. The limited edition single malt, The Bacalta, from Glenmorangie, was launched a few months ago, given the interest — especially in the South — in both Glenmorangie and Ardbeg award winners. But sparkling wine is ready for a bigger audience. “At Chandon India, our target audience spans a couple of buckets. The millennials with their vast hold on technology and information make for a nascent pool of aspiring consumers — they are discerning and have specific preferences,” he begins, before expanding on a trending topic: the Xennials. He is referring, of course, to the microgeneration between Gen X and millennials. Born between 1977 and 1983, this group can easily recall dial-up internet and a life before mobile phones. “They are people in the 30 to 40-year-old bracket, who are travelling the world and coming back home to seek a global lifestyle right here in India, who form our active consumer base,” says De Meurville, adding, “While we may speak to the former every day, it is with the Xennials that we have deeper engagements by way of building the sparkling culture in the market, as they have both the willingness and ability to buy.”
- Manish Malhotra has been busy expanding his New Delhi flagship store to make it the country’s largest designer address. But Bollywood’s favourite designer has also been spending a lot of time with bottles of Chandon over the last few months. His inspiration for the two special edition bottles that are being launched include the night sky during Diwali, the sherwani, the sari and the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. “It was important that the references bring alive the brief – France meets India – explored the richness of French and Indian cultures and married savoir-faire with traditions. And Versailles to me is the epitome of this expertise,” he begins. The Hall of Mirrors had to be the star for its play of lights. “The painstaking detail of its gardens and just the many stories that played out amidst its walls make the palace a cultural and historic centrepiece. So, when I got to the drawing board, I focussed on bringing this out through the detailing on the bottles,” concludes Malhotra.
- Priced at ₹1,450, the limited edition Chandon X Manish Malhotra bottles will be available at leading wine boutiques and restaurants in Mumbai, starting next week, and in Delhi and other cities closer to Diwali.
Chandon has, therefore, introduced “young, vibrant and fun marketing programmes” over the past three years, one of them being the digital video with Sonam Kapoor, The Party Starter. These programmes have disrupted both the sparkling wine and the wine segment in India, he adds. Other initiatives like Hennessy Very Special Nights are high energy, cocktail-led nights which immerse younger consumers into the world of Hennessy.
Raising the bar
Admitting that they are looking at enlarging the Champagne portfolio, De Meurville who hails from south-west France, hints at introducing Champagne bars and the half-bottle trend in the country.
A fan of Riyaz Amlani’s Social bars, Mumbai’s new French restaurant, Slink & Bardot, and AD Singh’s Olive Bar & Kitchen, he says identifying the right partner, with the right environment and crowd, is essential for a Champagne bar. Perhaps something along the lines of his favourite, the Dom Perignon Bar at Ritz Carlton Montreal, Canada, isn’t too far off?
Manish Adds sparkle to the bottle
Manish Malhotra has been busy expanding his New Delhi flagship store to make it the country’s largest designer address. But Bollywood’s favourite designer has also been spending a lot of time with bottles of Chandon over the last few months. His inspiration for the two special edition bottles that are being launched include the night sky during Diwali, the sherwani, the sari and the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. “It was important that the references bring alive the brief – France meets India – explored the richness of French and Indian cultures and married savoir-faire with traditions. And Versailles to me is the epitome of this expertise,” he begins. The Hall of Mirrors had to be the star for its play of lights. “The painstaking detail of its gardens and just the many stories that played out amidst its walls make the palace a cultural and historic centrepiece. So, when I got to the drawing board, I focussed on bringing this out through the detailing on the bottles,” concludes Malhotra.
Priced at ₹1,450, the limited edition Chandon X Manish Malhotra bottles will be available at leading wine boutiques and restaurants in Mumbai, starting next week, and in Delhi and other cities closer to Diwali.