Fruzzanté-A Chikoo Wine, The Brainchild of Priyanka Save

Priyanka Save is the founder of Fruzzanté, a branch of the Indian business Hill Zill Wines Pvt. Ltd. that specializes in sparkling fruit wine. Since fruzzanté is a carbonated alcoholic beverage, they came up with the name to represent fruit and fizz. The only manufacturer of alcohol using chikoo (Sapodilla) extracts is Fruzzanté.

She was born in Bordi, Maharashtra. At the DY Patil College of Engineering in Pune, she earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She continued on to finish her Master’s degree in mechanical engineering at NJIT in the USA. She has also completed a number of certificate programmes from WSET, London, in wines and spirits.

The new phase of Fruzzanté began in 2016, when Save and Pai established a full-fledged winery—the first of its type to commercially create alcoholic beverages from Sapota/Chikoo—using their expertise, creative ideas, and know-how. The first company in the world to produce alcoholic beverages from Sapota is the family-run Hill Zill Winery. Their boutique vineyard, located in the steep village of Brahmangaon, Bordi, on the outskirts of Maharashtra, also offers excursions and tastings. The invention of pineapple, strawberry, starfruit, chikoo, mango, and the soon-to-be-released Orange Fruzzanté is the outcome of well-organized teamwork.

She is leading a new revolution in the Indian alcoholic beverage industry. Both the business partners used the opportunity to better study the market, its demands, and current trends, which resulted in the creation of Fruzzanté, a sparkling alcoholic beverage made entirely of fruit that is also gluten-free and vegan. All of the fruits are purchased directly from the farm, which benefits the farmers and supports the local agro-economy. Fruzzante won a silver medal in the 2017 “Drink Outside the Grape” event, which was held in the USA and featured 145 international wines and ciders.