Moet Hennessy To Add Vintages To Current Champagne Portfolio

Bhisham Mansukhani - Mumbai

International wine and spirits major Moet Hennessy is planning to expand its champagne portfolio with the introduction of more vintages for Moet & Chandon Champagne. The wine and spirits portfolio on the other hand will be consolidated with the company concentrating on volume growth and further penetration into the largely untapped Indian market.

Moet Hennessy India has so far been importing a sizeable range of Champagnes including Dom Perignon, Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial, Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose, Krug Grand Cuvee and Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label Champagnes. It will now introduce Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial and Brut Imperial Rose 1990 and 1998 Vintages in the months ahead. According to Ashwin Deo, MD, Moet Hennessy India, "We are consolidating our existing portfolio and plan to concentrate on introducing more Champagne Vintages in the Moet & Chandon range."

Ashwin Deo

"The wines and champagne portfolio is by and large the vanguard for imports and marketing and sales efforts in India. Cognac is not a segment in itself, yet if taken in the macro concept of brown spirits, which dominates 80 per cent of the Indian liqour market, the potential for upside is immense. The consumption trends in the north of India is seasonal owing to the extreme winters while in the south, it is regional given the wide consumer base for brandy," revealed Deo.

Another of Moet Hennessy's strategies that has served it well in the Indian market, is the pint versions (375 ml) for some of its champagne brands, which made the product accessible, price wise, to a larger consumer base.

The half size units, introduced for Moet & Chandon Champagne, made the product more affordable in the pre-DFCEC regime while in the long term, it expunged any reservations about buying champagne by the bottle as it is relatively easier to consume the half bottle. We also got access to the lucrative hotel room minibar market," Deo said. Identifying Bangalore as a most promising market Deo adds, "Bangalore is an exciting, new market for us and our efforts directed towards this city, is testimonial to the importance we accord to the domestic consumer. Rajasthan and Goa are also two of the other promising tourist markets. Pune is next on the radar as well as Hyderabad, pending the state approval of certain policies. Up north, Chandigarh holds a lot of potential."