Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine February 2020 | Page 54

Lifestyle / Interview
interview
O
ur viticulturist
worked closely with
the farmers and
found the solution
to high-quality
grapes in Bali.
with wines. So, selling Indonesian
wines can be a bit tricky,” Bagus says.
The alumnus of Alliance Manchester
Business School (University of Manchester)
realised that the quality of the grapes
was his number one priority to change
the negative paradigm. So, he
experimented in viticulture, which
turned out to be a wise decision.
“We combine Italian viticulture
knowledge with Balinese agriculture
traditions to produce the best quality
grapes in the tropical climate of Bali.
Our viticulturist worked closely
with the farmers and found the
solution to high-quality grapes
in Bali,” Bagus explains.
Agung Bagus Pratiksa Linggih
Promoting
Indonesian Wines
Interview by Yani Lauwoie
The owner of Isola Wine
by Cantine Balita, Agung
Bagus Pratiksa Linggih,
admits there are many
challenges in building a
wine business in
Indonesia but none of
them stops him.
52
Starting the first boutique winery
focused on producing international-
standard wines in his homeland Bali in
2012, Bagus was fully aware it wouldn’t
be an easy ride. Bad-quality grapes
because of the humid environment
and tropical climate, as well as the
lack of grape varieties, meant there
was little confidence in local wines.
“Wines are also widely known to be
produced in subtropical countries, and
you tend not to associate Indonesia
Another technique that he is using
is creating an artificial winter during
the rainy season. “While we can
harvest up to three times a year, we
only do it twice because during the rainy
season the quality of the grapes is low.
What we do during the rainy season
is prune the plants, so they don’t
produce flowers. By doing so, the
nutrients are stored inside the plants
and it will produce better grapes and
a better harvest,” Bagus says.
The farming technique complements
the grape varieties, which Bagus
imported from south Italy. He planted
the vineyard in Buleleng Regency,
north-west Bali, where the land is
mineral-rich and fertile, giving the wines
produced by Isola Wine a unique flavour.
Isola Wine has since gained a trusted
reputation among its many clients,
including premium hotels and resorts
such as Alila, Bvlgari and Potato Head
Beach Club. The wines are available
not only in Bali but also in other
parts of Indonesia, including Jakarta,
Bandung and Flores.
Isola Wine produces 100,000 bottles
per year of red, rosé and white wine.