Mumbai goes into a fizz over champagne

This might be a slightly dodgy historical factoid but in the 17th century a cellar master named Dom Perignon in the region of Champagne, France supposedly beamingly declared he was "drinking stars" and beckoned his colleagues to partake of a freshly opened bottle's contents.

Mumbaikars may have felt a similar rush of novelty when they first popped a bottle of champagne and raised a three-quarters full flute at a birthday, anniversary or wedding, marveling at the streaming sliver of bubbles and creamy taste. And the economic downturn has done nothing to quell demand here. We have it on good authority that of late, champagne is no longer just for special occasions. It's a drink to perk up a day worn down by the vagaries of a demanding profession, or sometimes just to make a statement. Interestingly it's also getting along with food. Even buffets. Mumbai has champagne brunches now too. 

Glass by glass: Champagne ambassadors to Mumbai

Rajiv Singhal, Indian representative for CIVC (Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne) in India says, "The Indian appetite for champagne hasn't been lost in the least to the world's preoccupation with the economic meltdown. In fact India is the only market where more premium champagne is consumed than anywhere else in the world in percentage terms. Indians, Mumbaikars in particular, have a new view on champagne. It is no longer the tipple saved up just for that one special occasion, the middle classes too are drinking it. Most importantly, champagne is no longer just an aperitif. It is being paired with food much like still wine is."

Singhal points out the fact that in recent years many esteemed champagne houses have established an Indian presence including the likes of Piper Hiedseick, Ayala, Lombard and Philippe Gonet.

This enthusiastic up take and intake of champagne has a singular catalyst to thank. As Ray Martin recounts, the South Asian representative for champagne Ayala, "Champagne in India used to be regarded as a regal drink and by that extension, a rare choice. But back in 2003, when I was working with Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin which later merged with Moët Chandon, we initiated the country’s first wine-by-the-glass programme with the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower in Colaba. That was in effect a tipping point. More hotels and restaurants followed suit, the champagne brunch came to be and suddenly champagne went from being a once-a-year drink to a weekly one."

Pankaj Sampat, who was then Taj Mahal’s food and beverage manager supported Martin's initiative and saw his guests respond with record vigor. Champagne sales that year, leading up to New Year's celebration, were unprecedented and changed the whole hotel group's outlook on how champagne should be sold. "We had invested in equipment to de-oxidify the champagne in order to keep it fresh which is a challenge when one is serving wines by the glass," Sampat said.

The most recent bit of champagne history made in India is the "Champagne Hour" that the Four Seasons Mumbai hotel introduced when they opened their rooftop open-air lounge bar, Aer. The five star offers up a flute of Moët Chandon for Rs 600, half the menu price, during a stipulated time in the evening. When the bar re-opens in September (closed during the monsoon), it will serve the Bollinger Brut. Moorthy Mudaliar, food & beverage manager, Four Seasons, proffered, "Champagne is a drink we identify our hotel with. It's more about symbolizing a kind of lifestyle than the economics of it. Champagne isn't the beverage we try to make money on. Instead, we believe in an approach that simply encourages more people to drink it. At Aer we managed to get people to drink it at the end of a long day at work. I believe that's certainly a change in trend, in this city's context."

Shampoo 101: A class in champagne

Champagne is canonized for reasons that make it utterly unique and the way it’s made and the different styles. The sought after quality of France's northernmost wine region of the same name is attributed to its chalky soil, cold winter and the diligence with which the Methode Champenoise (the style of sparkling wine making) is observed. Champagne is a blend of three wine varieties -- Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and with a bit of Pinot Meunier. It is made in different styles ranging from austerely dry to generously sweet. You can denote the style from what's on the label. Brut stands for dry, Sec for medium-dry and Doux is sweet, dessert style. 

The constitution of the three-way blend also influences the style. Blanc de Blancs for instance, is made only from Chardonnay while Blanc de Noirs is made only from Pinot Noir, at times blended with Pinot Meunier. The most widely produced style of champagne is the Brut NV, a dry style. The NV stands for non-vintage as the blend contains wines from grapes crushed in different years. More than 90 percent of all champagne made is in the Brut (dry) style where wine from different vintages are blended together before the unique, traditional process of making the sparkling wine is initiated.

And this is the most widely available style in India for two chief reasons -- it is a style most popular in developing markets of which India is a prime example and this style has entry-level pricing as well as premium. Some of the other styles have a much higher price threshold. Rose Brut NV which is gaining popularity in Mumbai, particularly with the women, is priced a bit higher and has a slightly different flavor profile than the Brut NV apart from the visible difference in color. One of the newest styles to enter Mumbai is the Zero Dosage, a style even drier than the Brut containing virtually no residual sugar.

The premium end of champagne still only lies within the scope of the moneyed, as do the vintage champagnes, not simply because they’re made from wine from a single vintage but that not every year is a vintage for champagne -- making it rarer. These champagnes have great potential for ageing too. Dom Perignon, Moet Chandon's most popular brand, is one such sought-after vintage champagne. Further up the echelons are the Prestige Cuvées, which are truly elusive pops. The rules for producing wines at this level are even more stringent than for vintage champagnes and are only made from vineyards designated as Grand Cru (hallowed patches considered to grow the best fruit) and only the juice from the first press is used to make the wines meant for blending. This is the holy grail.

Hotel champagne brunches in Mumbai: What's the deal?

Back in the real world, champagne don't come cheap. In fact, while in cities like London where one can buy a bottle of champagne for as low as the equivalent of Rs 1,300, import taxes in India have sent prices sky rocketing here. Entry level prices hover at around Rs 5,000 for NVs while vintage champagnes are up to three times as expensive as in Europe. A single bottle of champagne pours approximately five glasses. As with imported still wines, there's barely an incentive to drink champagne at home since prices by the glass and bottle are about the same if not cheaper in hotels.

Even so, in spite of being available by the glass, champagne is an expensive drink. So where does that leave the middle class profile whose eyes instinctively gravitate to the fine print on the right-hand side price column? Raise your glasses to the champagne brunch! Or rather, since this concept isn't alien to Mumbai but is certainly making a grand come back -- we toast the return of the champagne brunch.

Gaurav Bhatia, marketing director, Moët Hennessy India says Moët Hennessy was the first champagne house to introduce the champagne brunch in India, at the Shamiana at Taj Mahal in Mumbai. "The idea in such cases is not to push sales directly but to shatter the idea that champagne is an occasional drink or just an aperitif. And the popularity of the champagne brunch proved that the drink sits well with Mumbai's social culture."

Jeetesh Kaprani, food and beverage manager at the Oberoi where the newly opened Fenix offers a champagne brunch, adds, "The brunch is in a way also an important occasion for the family to spend time together and savor different foods. When champagne becomes part of that experience and sits well with different cuisines, that is when Indians will start to embrace champagne much like they’ve done with other international aspects which have blended into the urban culture." 

From an economic perspective, too, it's a no-brainer. If the minimum retail price in Mumbai for champagne is around Rs 5,000 and the champagne brunch at the Four Seasons for instance is Rs 3,370, there simply isn’t a more value-oriented avenue to consume bubbly in this city every other weekend.

Three noted champagne Sunday brunches in Mumbai

Fenix at The Oberoi

Fenix serves Bollinger at its brunch along with a varied menu that includes scrambled eggs, candied shallots, New Zealand lamb cutlets with horseradish mash, arugula and green peppercorn sauce; Wasabi-crusted Cochin sea bass and a kebab platter. Rs 3,200/head, inclusive of all taxes.

Masala Bay at Taj Lands End

Masala Bay serves Moët Chandon alongside a spread of raw bar specialties like salmon gravlax, baby lobster ceviche and caviar as well as carpaccio of proscuitto san Daniele that goes very well with artisanal breads. Other highlights include porcini-crusted rack of lamb in a port reduction, gourmet pastas and kebabs. Rs 3,500/head plus taxes.

Prato at Four Seasons

Louis Roederer has just been introduced at the Prato brunch. The Sunday spread also includes a sushi station, steaks and barbecue along with a South Indian counter and a children's area. Rs 3,370/head, includes taxes.

Where to buy

Nature's Basket at Warden Road, +91 (0) 22 4002 4008/06 and Bandra +91 (0) 2642 5050/1122'

Sante Wines at Cuffe Parade, +91 9773350093, also at Malabar Hill, +91 (0) 2368 4128 and Bandra +91 (0) 2600 2373

Patel Wines at Cuffe Parade +91 9892965437

Shah Wines at Crawford Market +91 9820077121

Modern Wines at Dadar +91 9833590966

Silver Coin Wines at Bandra (W)  +91 9819800620

Juben Wines at Juhu +91 9867110001

Aradhana Wines at Lokhandwala +9 19821525486