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New Delhi , July 22

WITH over 300,000 glasses of its wine consumed during the Wimbledon period - Jacob's Creek, the official wine sponsor of the Grand Slam event for five years is set to roll out two of its top drops in the Indian market.

From the Orlando Wyndham stable, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pernod Ricard - the Australian wine, Jacob's Creek, will hit the institutional market in India to initially establish its taste, before rolling out into the retail market. The imports will be routed through Pernod Ricard (Gulf) and distributed in the domestic market through Seagram India, Mr Bryan Fry, Chief Viticulturist, Orlando Wyndham Group Pty Ltd, said.

Globally, Pernod Ricard has acquired Seagram, though operations in India continue to be under the Seagram name. Jacob's Creek sold 6.2 million cases worldwide in 2002 and Asia, he said, was a strong highlight this year, following the SARS period.

Unwilling to reveal the pricing of the two variants - Semillon Chardonnay, a white wine and Shiraz Cabernet, a red wine - Mr Fry said that it would be on a par with other "new world" wines, such as wines from Chile, Argentina, California and South Africa. Jacob Creek's portfolio comprises three ranges of wine: `Core' or the `popular wines', two of which are being marketed in India, `reserve' or the `trade up the ladder' product for the wine-enlightened consumer and `limited release' for the premium-end consumer. The core range is priced at Aus.$ 9, reserve at Aus. $16 and limited reserve at Aus. $ 65 for a bottle.

At a later date, the company plans to introduce its sparkling wine or Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir in India.

For now, the initial two brands would be launched in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, which would be a "priority" market. They would also be launched in Goa, Hyderabad and Calcutta.

"Wine is an emerging market in India, growing at 25 per cent per annum," he said.

Jacob's Creek has associated itself with sporting events in the global markets, such as Wimbledon, Rugby World Cup and other sports such as golf and cycling. In India, he did not rule out the possibility of associating with similar events in the future.

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