Mallya acquires French wine company

New Delhi: An Indian has acquired a French wine company. It would take none less than Vijay Mallya to pull this off.

He has acquired Bouvet Ladubay, the wine subsidiary of French champagne maker, Taittinger for €15 million, reports CNBC-TV18.

Chairman, United Breweries Group, Vijay Mallya said, "With Bouvet Ladubay, we are going to import these range of wines into India and use our distribution to get them into the right outlets and to the right homes."

Riding high on the back of the profitable takeover, Mallya unfolded his major plans to expand his brewery business in the coming months.

"We will use the very rich viti culture technology and wine making technology that resides in Bouvet Ladubay to start a serious winery and vineyard operation in India," he added.

Aiming to become the world's number one liquor player, Vijay Mallya's United Breweries is believed to have made a bid for a part of Australian giant Foster's beer units in India and Vietnam.

According to sources, Mallya has bid for Foster's beer units in India and Vietnam, which is estimated to be valued at $234 million (Rs 1,053 crore).

"Mallya has made a bid for the beer units of Foster's in India and Vietnam," sources in the know of the development said.

Mallya's bid for Foster's units in India and Vietnam is expected to counter competition from Scottish and Newcastle and another unidentified Chinese beer major.

Despite UB's top position in the beer market in India, the company was interested in the deal, as it would give it an added advantage.