Neeraj Sachdeva explores Indian viticulture and its challenges

The Indian winemaking scene is thriving and attracting international attention for all the right reasons. Whether it's our growing accolades at wine challenges and competitions or increased foreign investment in the sector, our land holds promise. Despite not being located on the 'Grape Belt' of 30-50 degrees North/South of the equator, India has emerged with the ability to produce distinguishable produce. This isn't easy in any way, and the respect is earned through a long history of struggles and hard work. As a result, gaining a better understanding of what it takes to grow a quality crop in this less-than-ideal environment is necessary. Neeraj Sachdeva, the Director of LakeForest Wines, discovers natural, logistical, financial, and technological barriers by explorating on-the-ground realities of Indian viticultural environments.

GETTING STARTED

The difficulties begin from the get-go. Agricultural land is costly (approximately 0.5-1.5 crore/acre in Nashik, Maharashtra) and requires a large initial investment. "Even with the right capital in place, finding a balance between land's potential and viticultural proficiency has its gaps," says LakeForest Wines Director Neeraj Sachdeva. Therefore, early compromises between quantity and quality are required, emphasising the importance of near-perfect planning and execution.

According to Neeraj Sachdeva , the initial vineyard setup cost is between 3-5 lacs per acre. It necessitates the use of rootstocks, clones, trellising, planting material, and a large amount of machinery. He emphasises the importance of getting the correlation between soil composition and desirable rootstocks right for optimum crop quality. There is a scarcity of pre-grafted rootstocks and professional nurseries for supplies. 'Dogridge' is a prominently planted rootstock variety.

It commonly guarantees quantity at the expense of quality. Imported rootstocks are expensive, and obtaining them necessitates flexing bureaucratic muscles, lengthy chains of permissions, and potentially a year-long wait. "Even if this is addressed, a viticulturist's confidence is further harmed by a lack of research on Indian viruses," Neeraj Sachdeva, the Director of LakeForest Wines says. Mishandling at the quarantine level can easily result in the development of long-term viruses or a complete failure, rendering the entire activity ineffective. "In the absence of alternatives, you have no choice but to continue using these old and infected materials," Sachdeva adds. And thus, his observation that relying on overseas viticultural consultants after that is not beneficial holds true.

AGRICULTURE ON CONTRACT

Working with a contracted farmer becomes essential when land is so expensive. Almost all wineries have some contract farming operations, which adds another layer of complexity. Most contracts stipulate a fixed price for yield per acre. This distances them from the carrot of yield control and crop quality. Despite a pre-established contractual agreement, the motivations of farmers and wineries may differ. Neeraj Sachdeva emphasises the importance of keeping a constant eye on their vineyards, particularly for timely pruning, dropping excess fruit through green harvests, and maintaining spraying cycles.

This shifts the burden of developing and maintaining these vineyards, as well as striking the quantity-quality balance, back to the winery. Neeraj Sachdeva intervenes to emphasise the ongoing need to educate farmers, which is neither easy nor instantaneous. They have reservations about changing their ways because it may have failed for another farmer. Generalization is quite common. However, if assured purchases are promised for a reasonable period of time, they may be willing to experiment with new rootstocks, varietals, and viticultural practises.

Sachdeva suggests steering toward striking monetisation practises based on quality grades. However, given the market's current lack of grape availability, farmers may end up arm-twisting wineries and contracts. Therefore, it boils down to the farmer-winery relationship and how adaptable it is in finding a mutually beneficial path forward. ​

THE WAY OUT

Catering to this mismatch of influences and opportunities has enormous potential. Most producers have practical rather than wishful expectations of the government and its policies.

As Neeraj Sachdeva, the Director of LakeForest Wines stated, the country's constant need for new planting material must be recognised. Making it easier for smaller organisations, farmers, and co-operatives to import disease- and virus-free canes and rootstocks will go a long way toward improving crop quality and introducing new varieties and clones. Because our environment is unique, studies must be conducted and shared in order to produce higher-quality produce.

India is a big, dynamic, and a growing alcohol market. Over the last few years, the share of Indian wines has steadily increased. Not to mention that India is a constitutionally dry state, despite being one of the most lucrative emerging markets at the moment. Despite all of the obstacles and roadblocks from acquiring a vineyard to having your produce reach the consumer's table, we are confidently cruising into never-before local markets and countries that have never heard of India minus its inviting monuments, cricket, and Bollywood. We must have some serious potential to be dealt a disadvantageous hand of cards in the form of its natural geographical location while luring global industry's big houses to invest in our lands with a promising view.