On International Cabernet Sauvignon Day, India has a reason to celebrate. Red wines from its vineyards — from Sula’s RĀSĀ and Fratelli’s J’NOON to KRSMA’s Hampi vintage — are among the world’s finest.
On International Cabernet Sauvignon Day (August 30), which is celebrated to appreciate the rich history and global importance of the iconic red wine grape, you can raise your glass for India has something real to celebrate. For decades, Indian winemaking was regarded as an indulgence of a few pioneers and a niche pursuit for an urban elite.
But today, our wine story is no longer a tentative experiment; it has ripened into confidence and acquired a character of its own. The early foundations were laid with whites like Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc that were approachable and easy to drink. But in recent years, it is the reds — most notably Cabernet Sauvignon — that have begun to command attention, pulling India into the serious global conversation.
The achievement is a validation of years of patient work in the vineyards and cellars, a sign that India’s soils and climates can indeed produce reds of international calibre. Cabernet Sauvignon, the veritable ‘king of grapes,’ is among the most widely planted red grape varieties in the world.
It grows across an unusually broad spectrum of climates, from Australia’s warm valleys and California’s coastal regions to the cooler slopes of British Columbia in Canada and the high-altitude vineyards of Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. In each place it offers different expressions of structure, ripeness, and depth, which is why nearly every major wine-producing country has made room for it in its vineyards.
In India, Cabernet Sauvignon was first planted in the Nashik region of Maharashtra, but is now cultivated in several pockets, including Karnataka’s Hampi Hills and parts of Pune and Nandi Valley. The grape’s thick skins and natural tannins allow it to withstand the heat, though Indian conditions tend to produce wines with softer texture, ripe fruit character, and balanced acidity. Cabernet Sauvignon, the world’s most celebrated red, is considered the benchmark against which new wine regions measure their mettle.
An Indian gold standard
“Cabernet Sauvignon grapes make some really good wines, because the grapes are concentrated and loaded with polyphenols. The thick skins burst with tannins lending to their structure and aging potential. It is a hardy and vigorous grape, surviving in different soil conditions and due to the thick skins, are also disease resistant,” observes Gargi Kothari, Founder & Sommelier of Magic Cellars, a community of wine lovers in Mumbai.
To craft a Cabernet that can stand shoulder to shoulder with international peers is to signal a country’s viticultural coming of age. And this is precisely the ambition underpinning Indian winemakers today, through bold blends and terroir-driven single varietals.
The confidence of Indian winemaking received a decisive boost last year when Sula Vineyards’ RĀSĀ Cabernet Sauvignon won gold at the 2024 Global Cabernet Sauvignon Masters in London. Organised by the UK’s Drinks Business magazine, and judged through a rigorous blind-tasting format, the win placed India on the map in a way no bottle had before. It was, in fact, the first time an Indian wine had taken gold in any category at the Global Masters Awards.
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Full-bodied and matured for 14-16 months in French oak, the RĀSĀ Cabernet Sauvignon wine (Rs 1,850) offers a layered bouquet of blackcurrant, olive, and vanilla. Dark fruit notes of berries evolve into a sleek finish. In fact, as the wine aerates in the glass, it opens up and becomes more food friendly. For Sula founder Rajeev Samant, the recognition was vindication. He has often recalled how, in the early days, Sula was dismissed as capable only of producing approachable whites. The suggestion that real credibility would come only with a fine Cabernet Sauvignon has now come full circle.
J’NOON Red by Fratelli, India’s second-largest wine producer, is another raconteur. Rich and intense, at first sip, its herbaceous tones introduce themselves politely, before giving way to blackcurrant, then unfurling into the confident intensity of black cherry and tobacco. I first encountered it at a gathering recently. The table was lined with smoked kebabs, conversation flowed, but the wine stood its ground. At Rs 4,500, it was the evening’s crown jewel, a bottle that demanded attention.
It was in 2018 that Fratelli had entered the limited-edition space with J’NOON, a collection steeped in ambition and pedigree. The name, drawn from the Urdu word for passion or obsession, is styled with French flourish (caps, apostrophes) for good reason: the project is a collaboration with celebrated vintner Jean-Charles Boisset, an Indophile whose French and American labels are already imported into India through Fratelli.
This is one of the most premium Indian red wines in the market. Cabernet Sauvignon takes a lead here, along with other grapes like Petit Verdot/Marselan, and Sangiovese, aged in French oak and stainless steel. The Cabernet Sauvignon lends it a backbone as well as depth.
Terroir-driven expressions
Among India’s most intriguing Cabernet Sauvignons comes from KRSMA Estates in Hampi. Their version, priced at Rs 1,700, is matured for 12 months in French oak. Medium-bodied but refined, it carries notes of cassis, liquorice, mocha, and cocoa, balanced with tea-like tannins that linger without overwhelming.
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India’s first and only Master of Wine, Sonal C Holland, singles it out: “My favourite Indian Cabernet Sauvignon is the KRSMA Estates Cabernet Sauvignon — a wine of remarkable complexity and elegance. It finds a perfect match in the flaky, smoky, and mildly spiced Chilean sea bass tandoori served at The Sahib Room & Kipling Bar, St. Regis Mumbai.”
Not far away, in the Nandi Hills of Karnataka, Grover Zampa has been producing La Réserve (Rs 1,175). A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Shiraz, it has long been considered a standard Indian red. Its profile is intense: chocolate, coffee, vanilla, layered with ripe red and black fruits. Aged in French oak, it delivers a long finish, designed to pair with rich meats, pâtés, and bold cheeses.
Blended by choice
To call Sette by Fratelli (Price: Rs 1,600) a wine would be a bit unfair. It seems more like a love letter from Akluj (Maharashtra) to Tuscany’s sunny Sangiovese-laden slopes. This is Fratelli’s signature, ‘Indian Super‑Tuscan’ blend, a beautiful medley of two powerful grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. The Sangiovese gives the wine a distinctive raspberry flavour as it embraces the tannin-forward, black currant notes of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Layers of smoked barrel tones talk back, and an engaging dialogue is a promise.
“An interesting pairing with Sette was the Khandeshi style mutton I had in Nashik, with the signature kala masala made from dark-roasting whole spices and dry coconut. This lends the dish a distinct, smoky flavour, which paired very well with the wine,” reminisces Kothari. Cabernet Sauvignons are highly valued by collectors, though it will take Indian varietals a while to get way up there. “Most Indian Cabernet Sauvignons have that green bell pepper note, which could be a bit overpowering. It will take them a few years to evolve, mature and soften into lush fruitiness,” says Kothari.
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More recently, Chile and Argentina have joined the conversation with their own interpretations, earning both value and respect. “The style of Cabernet Sauvignon wines in India seem driven by home market demand, which I think is looking for ripe and rich wines,” observes Matthieu Longuere, Wine Development Manager at Le Cordon Bleu, London.
Sula’s award-winning RĀSĀ Cabernet Sauvignon, Fratelli’s audacious J’NOON Red, and KRSMA’s Hampi-origin expression show that India is no longer merely imitating Europe but shaping its own idiom of Cabernet, rooted in local soil and designed to pair with Indian cuisine as easily as with continental fare.
