Alok was born in Mussoorie (now in Uttaranchal) in 1953, and has lived in and worked all over India. His educational background is classical: Mayo College Ajmer, St. Stephen’s College Delhi, and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

He is an ‘old hand’ in the alcoholic beverages industry in India, having joined the UB Group in 1982 and spent 12 years with them in a variety of positions and functions before joining International Distillers India (now Diageo India) in 1995 as General Manager Wines to launch Cinzano Vermouths in the country.

Since 2001 Alok has been working as India’s only independent ‘Wine Consultant’ under the banner of Gryphon Brands Inc. Still largely a one-man show, the work includes ‘Knowledge’ (training, tasting), ‘Research’ (markets, consumers, brands) and ‘Projects’ (for setting up vineyards/ wineries, and to import wines into India).

His clients have included Diageo India, Fosters India and the UB Group apart from other companies and private parties whose identities are bound by confidentiality agreements.

Alok set up the Bangalore Wine Club in end-2001 and was its president till 2005. In addition he has been writing on wines for the Business Standard’s ‘Weekend’ magazine, Sommelier India, the Deccan Herald, ‘The Man’ (Cochin) and ‘Liquid’ magazine (London).

Of late the consultancy work has extended into helping wineries market and distribute their wares in Bangalore and South India; the clients include Vintage Wines Nashik (whose ‘Reveilo’ wines are the most expensive Indian wines), Sovereign Impex Delhi and Wine Park Mumbai. Alok has also been empanelled by the Gerson Lehrman Group as an expert on ‘Wine in India’.

Alok lives in and works out of Bangalore, is married to Mridul (a practicing artist) and has two daughters – Shreya (22) who is working in Singapore, and Kavya (20) who is in college in Bangalore.