You don’t even need to be a wine lover to know that Sula rules the roost when it comes to the Indian wine industry. A true market leader, their rise to the top has been much more than just impressive and has given me nothing to WhINE about.
If you’re wondering how much we are going to rave about Sula, buckle up cause we’ve got 11 awesome things about Sula that you need to know!
1) Sula was founded in 1999 by Rajeev Samant in Nashik. And like a true momma’s boy, Rajeev named the brand after his mother, Sulabha. With a mother’s imprint on the name, things couldn’t go wrong!
2) Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc were the first two variants sold under the name Sula Vineyards. Thanks to Californian winemaker Kerry Damskey, who displayed his fine prowess and helped Rajeev, there was simply no looking back for him and Sula after this.
3) With these history lessons, we wouldn’t blame you for thinking that Sula was the very first vineyard in the country. But that’s the wrong answer. Indage (in 1986) and Grover (1991) beat them to the race.
4) From a 30-acre family farm in the days of its inception, Sula has come a long way, now expanding to a whopping 1800-acre property in Nashik. Currently, Sula has two main wineries in Nashik and Dindori in Maharashtra while it has taken over three other custom crush facilities in Nashik and one in Karnataka.
5) There is always room for experimentation and introducing new variants of wine for all of us to sip and savour. Making the move into reserve wine, Sula treated us to Dindori Reserve Shiraz and the Late Harvest Chenin Blanc that stakes claim to being the country’s first-ever dessert wine. And they didn’t just keep themselves to wine if you thought that was the case. They went a step ahead and launched India’s first 100% grape brandy Janus, in July 2015.
6) Today, Sula dominates more than half of the sector in India with a remarkable 65% market share. Adding joy to more than 30 countries across Asia, Europe, USA and Canada, the wine giant recently forayed into the Chinese market and intends to make a move into Oman.
7) And yes, business is well and truly booming. It’s not everyday that a wine chain in India gets to cross the 1-million figure in sales. Going by recent figures of the number of bottles produced this year (reports say as much as 9,000 tonnes, would you believe it?), they are expected to surpass their 2019 sales forecast.
8) Across its own 25-odd variants, it’s the red wine Cabernet Shiraz, and white wine Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc that are the best-sellers.
Some of their other popular wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, Viognier, and Riesling.
9) Enough about talking about the brand. But what about the actual place?
Why stop at getting any variant of Sula Wine at your nearest wine shop when you can actually drive down to the place where it all began? Nothing makes for a brilliant weekend getaway (it’s a 3-4 hour drive from Mumbai) than sipping and savouring Indian wine at its finest. A lavish property with exquisite villas, the resort gives you the picturesque view of the hills. And if you want to come back to the city with a host of wine trivia, we absolutely recommend you experience their wine-tasting sessions. See, swirl, sniff, sip and relish. That’s the magic mantra!
10) Here’s a fact that’s going to leave you stumped. Did you know that Sula puts its best foot forward when it comes to tiger conservation? Yup, you heard us right.
Not many people know this but Sula has a variant from their Karnataka winery called Kadu. With the state having the largest tiger population in the country, Sula ensures that each time you buy either a Kadu Chenin Blanc, Kadu Sauvignon Blanc, Kadu Shiraz Rose or Kadu Cabernet Shiraz, you’re making a contribution towards saving the country’s national animal.
11) If you thought it was all about the wine tasting and tours at Sula Vineyards, think again.
Every year, Sula Vineyards hosts one of the most happening music festivals in the country called the Sula Fest. It’s a party that you certainly do not want to miss out on.
Have a look at what went down this year.
You really can’t ask for more when it comes to Sula. We raise our glass to the kings of the Indian wine industry, cheers!
