Queen of her ‘chateau’

Kavita Chougule on her exclusive wine boutique, hubby Vickrant and more

Kavita Chougule has always been well-acquainted with all things luxurious. After all, the lady has a regal family background (her great grandfather was a Maratha royal and her grandmother, a princess) and she’s married into one the illustrious Chougule family.

But as charming as she is, Kavita is also that much determined not to rest on just being Mrs Vickrant Chougule. Apart from her penchant for designer wear and her priceless baubles, her stylish demeanour gives away a prolific sense of accomplishment, what with her being a successful designer and more recently, head of the new boutique wine company, Tiger Hills.

“I was unwilling to just be known as an idle rich woman,” begins Kavita, gently pouring out tea into her David Anderson porcelain set at her home at Worli. “I always knew I was creative and hardworking did not want to waste that. Life has been great so far and Vickrant is a wonderful and understanding husband.”

That’s a telling summation from a girl who was married at 20. She was studying Science at Fergusson College, Pune, when her marriage was fixed with one of the most eligible bachelors of Mumbai. “Our families also knew each other,” she adds.

With an upbringing in the Nashik Valley, Kavita had knowledge of wineries and grape production. “If you know how to make good grapes then you know how to make good wine,” she surmises. Her travails to prominent wine producing regions in the world was also “very inspiring”, she says. “From France, to South Africa’s Stellenbosch region near Cape Town to Thatch Vineyards’ Broken Earth wines, Kavita further supplemented her knowledge. “I loved Warrick Estate best,” she gushes. “They only produce 1000 bottles a year here; it’s super exclusive.”

Back home, she decided to set up her own venture – a winery, resort, and vinotherapy spa and thus Tiger Hills was born! “I’d like to make people change the way we think about wine. After all, India is the hotbed of this industry today,” she states. “Not only is the huge emerging class discovering wine as a healthy alternative to other drinks and as a great companion to food but the potential number of people is much larger now, so you can imagine what numbers the wine consumption in this country can reach.”    

Taking cognisance of her success, Kavita firmly believes that the best achievement comes at the end of doing what one can to the best of one’s ability. “All the projects that I have taken on are purely because of the passion I feel for them. It has never ever been about  money,” she explains.

Early morning sees the well-turned out businesswoman firmly ensconced in her office, sorting out all things wine, from overseeing sales to choosing the right importers. There’s more to just the taste of the good life, one realises.

t_ismat@dnaindia.net