In countries like Belgium and Finland, Bernard-Massard is a household name. In Quebec, Canada, we are one of the most sold wine products. But it has been a long haul. Our presence in Belgium spans one hundred years. It took us 20 years to get into the market in Finland completely and another 10 in Canada’s Quebec. Our focus is now mainly on still wines. We’ve journalists coming to our winery. I’m travelling a lot, and overall promoting the wine. So our presence is across more than 20 countries now. Besides, it is tougher for us as I travel on my own budget, and not the state’s. I’d be very happy to travel with other producers, but the country is so small that many wouldn’t join.

Please tell us how you decided to enter India?
It was at the initiative of our Ambassador H.E. Mr Jean Claude Kugener in New Delhi that I made the foray. We were in touch since his days as Luxembourg’s envoy in Moscow. So when he said that Bernard-Massard could look at the Indian market, I decided to give it a try. As I mentioned earlier, we’re promoting a Luxembourg brand based on the champagne method. So it’s an advantage, and at the same time there is a bit of exclusivity. Right now we’ve our first order through our importer, Hema Connoisseur Collections in India. They’ve strategies in place. Initially we’d focus on nice restaurants, hotels including those that have five-star ratings, a good distribution, and strategic networking. India is a big market, and capturing even a small fraction will make us expand. We’re hoping to do so with our partners down here.