19 Nov La Cave at Select Citywalk, Saket
Launched by Madhulika Bhattacharya Dhall, an ex-PR professional, La Cave wine boutique houses 130 labels in addition to spirits and other liquor. Madhulika’s goal was to open an attractive wine store for people to buy wine without feeling intimidated.
“Wine is very close to my heart. My aim was to set up a store with a relaxed ambience that had no snootiness about it – a space where people could walk in and buy affordable wine,” she says.
Stepping into the brightly lit store illuminated with a chandelier made of whisky decanters, La Cave exudes an approachable and cool vibe. The wines are stacked according to country of origin with the prestige labels stored in individual drawers, made from the wood of original wine cartons.
For those bewildered by wine labels and their tricky pronunciation or unsure about which wines to buy, La Cave has an in-house sommelier to assist shoppers. Chloe, who is from Lyon in France, is knowledgeable about wine and also fills the role of a wine concierge who can help people select wines for a party and even assist with the wine service.
Madhulika has plans to expand the list to 250. But for now, one can choose from their current range of 130 wines that are priced between Rs 630 and Rs 61,000. For those who don’t mind, spending big bucks, there’s a La Cave prestige, on-demand list. “You can order top-end wines like Petrus and Latour through it,” shares Madhulika, who jokes about having the shortest demand-supply chain possible, “from the Brindco warehouse to La Cave.” — KD