Balti Wine

Following on from the success of Cobra Beer which cashed in on Brits' love of curry and beer, Balti Wine hopes to capture wine/curry lovers.

The Independent reports:

“One in four people in Britain eats a curry at least once a week. Couple this with British people's growing love of wine and you'll see why Ashraf Sharif's business idea has been such a hit. Balti Wine, his simple range of five wines to complement spicy foods, is already revolutionising the drinking habits of curry lovers and the company looks set to grow from strength to strength.

"It's no gimmick," insists Sharif, 53, whose headquarters are in Newton Heath, Manchester. Indeed, it took four years of extensive research in collaboration with Manchester University's food science department, and samples from around the globe, before Sharif and his advisers were happy with the grape selections.

"At first, Indian wines seemed the obvious answer, but we found people didn't like them because they're not used to them," he says, explaining that the wines they eventually chose come from the Southern Hemisphere. The New World, he explains, tends to make wines that have an upfront fruity style that complements the spice in the food.

"These wines - three whites and two reds - each have a 'chilli rating' from one chilli to five, helping drinkers to choose which one is appropriate for their selected food," he adds.

Since the company's launch in 2004, Balti Wine has sold over 700,000 bottles, which retail at between £10 and £15 in restaurants. Sharif now supplies 65 per cent of the North-west's Indian restaurants and six per cent of all Indian restaurants nationally. "Between 50 to 100 restaurants a day are taking on Balti Wines," he says.”

Having secured VC funding, Balti Wine now has plans to expand into the States. One to watch.