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Sula Vineyards
Situated 180 km northeast of Mumbai, Nashik is India’s largest grape-growing region, but traditionally never grew wine grapes. Wondering why, Rajeev Samant an enterprising, Stanford-trained engineer quit his hi-tech Silicon Valley job in 1993 to do some investigating.
A little research quickly showed that the Nashik climate was not only perfect for wine grapes, but was also on par with winegrowing regions in Spain, California, and Australia. His determination doubled, Rajeev returned to California in search of a winemaker. In Sonoma County he found Kerry Damskey, an eminent Californian winemaker, who enthusiastically agreed to help start a winery on Rajeev’s 30 acre family estate.In 1997, the duo took the revolutionary step of planting French Sauvignon Blanc and Californian Chenin Blanc, varieties that had never before been planted in India. The first Sula wines, released in 2000, were widely acclaimed as India’s best white wines.
Since its inception, Sula has rapidly established itself as India’s leading premium wine brand, helping spark a wine revolution that has seen consumption grow at 25% annually and several new wineries come up in the Nashik area. In November 2002, Wine Spectator – the world's No.1 wine magazine – did a five-page feature on Sula, a proud first for an Indian winery.
A second winery with three times the capacity of the first was completed in late 2004 to keep up with demand, and a third million litre winery started operations in 2006. The four wineries that Sula owns today have a combined capacity of 5 million litres. Sula has expanded from the original 30 acre family estate to 1500 acres (owned and contracted) under plantation, both in Nashik as well as in nearby Dindori, India’s upcoming wine region. Varietals planted include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Zinfandel and Merlot along with the original Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. In addition to having a wide national distribution network within India, Sula also exports its wines internationally, as well as importing and distributing wines from leading producers worldwide.
In 2003 Sula produced India’s first Zinfandel Rose and in 2005, Sula’s Dindori Reserve Shiraz, as well as India’s first dessert wine, the Late Harvest Chenin Blanc were released.
The winery and vineyards are open to the public for educational tours, and the beautiful Tasting Room invites visitors to enjoy their favourite Sula wines amidst spectacular views of the vineyards and surrounding lakes and hills. Visitors can now spend a few nights in paradise at BEYOND, Sula’s new bungalow on the vineyards with a beautiful lake view.
Firmly committed to remaining at the forefront of Indian wines, Sula continues to experiment with new varietals, engage in sustainable agriculture, support the local rural economy, and, of course, make wines of outstanding quality and superb value.
Sula Vineyards is now India’s #1 premium wine company, with sales of over 2 million bottles in 2007-08.
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