Vijay Amritraj launches Indian wine in UK

LONDON: Former Indian tennis star Vijay Amritraj has joined forces with one of India's largest premium wine producers to launch a new range of fine wines for the UK market. The Grover Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection of white and red wines, which claims to be inspired by his legendary feats on the tennis court and iconic style of play, was launched at a Wimbledon-themed party at St James' Court Taj Hotel in London yesterday.

"We want these wines to compete with the rest of the world - be it French, Californian or Chilean. They have to have the kind of quality that we as tennis players had when we left Indian shores. Also, I hope when people talk about the wine they also talk about the fact that it came from India," Amritraj told PTI. "This range represents a particular kind of taste that I enjoy; it's light on the white and it's got a rich red to it and you can pair it with different foods. The more important thing is that they are good quality and healthy wines that people can enjoy at fairly accessible rates," he added.

Both wines will be distributed in the UK market through Cranbrook Wines and Myliko International priced at around 14.99 pounds. Amritraj is India's best-known tennis export, reaching No 16 in the world rankings in 1980 and beating many of the world's leading players during his 20-year career, including John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.

He also enjoyed a brief acting career, starring as M16 agent Vijay in the 1983 James Bond film 'Octopussy' and appearing as a starship captain in 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'.