Pioneer who paved the way for wine industry in India

Nothing less than being an icon in India’s wine industry, Shyamrao Chowgule, Founder of Indage Vintners and erstwhile Champagne India Ltd. passed away in Mumbai on 23rd August 2020 after a prolonged illness, at the age of 86. He was a visionary who paved the way for setting up a modern wine industry in India and convinced farmers to switch from table to wine grapes and also introduced them to contract farming, recounts Subhash Arora, who joins many others in paying respect to him.

I met Shyamrao Chowgule in 2004-05 when I stopped by Indage winery in Narayangaon. I was fortunate to find him in the winery. He spent three hours talking about his work and challenges associated with it and even took us to the Ivy Bar outside the winery, where we tasted several wines. This, when his son Ranjit was waiting for him in Mumbai for a meeting!

After staying 20 years at the top from 1986-2006, Indage Vintners got into financial difficulties due to overleveraging and buying two wineries in Australia, and two bottling plants in the UK. Unable to pay for the wineries or to get enough orders to keep the bottling plants viable, he even couldn’t pay salaries.

I used to faithfully report the events through my writings. So,when I met him at the National Conference organised by IGPB in 2010, I expected him to be cold to me. But I was surprised when he walked up to me and said, “You are doing a good job in reporting. Keep it up.”

Shyam went on to set up All India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA) and he was its first President. He was also the first Chairman of the now defunct Indian Grape Processing Board.

Jagdish who succeeded as the President of AIWPA says, “Shyamji was my true mentor. He tied up with many farmers and educated them about modern viticulture techniques.

He was from a family of farmers in Kolhapur. He used to sit down on the floor with farmers and eat with them.”

A great tribute comes from Yves Pouzet, a French winemaker who owns a biodynamic winery named Tipaume, near Santiago, Chile. He worked as the Vice President of winemaking at Champagne India during 1989-91. He says, ‘I was shuttling between Chile and Brazil, when Shyam invited me to Mumbai to understand his projects. He exhorted me to join him. I went back fascinated by his personality and charisma and did not hesitate to accept his offer’.

‘Those years with him were very intense, as his was the only modern winemaking facility in India, back then. Shyamji was a pioneer and a visionary. He sent me to explore the feasibility of growing vines and other fruit trees in Punjab, Himachal and Uttar Pradesh, where climates are more tending towards Mediterranean than in Maharashtra.” he adds further.

Rest in peace, Shyamji. Hopefully, your favourite bubbles await you in the world beyond.