Sula Vineyards


Sula Vineyards is a winery and vineyard located in the Nashik region of western India,180 km northeast of Mumbai. It was founded by Rajeev Samant in 1998. After the launch of its first wines in 2000, Sula expanded from its original 30 acre family estate in Nashik to approximately 1800 acres across Nashik and the state of Maharashtra. Sula introduced grape varietals such as Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling and Zinfandel to India and as of 2013, they held a market share of almost 70% in the Indian wine Industry.

Facilities

Tours and tastings are conducted seven days a week throughout the year.
Grape stomping:
The harvest and crush season runs from January to March and The Grape Stomping activity is conducted in this period.
The restaurants: Little Italy and Soma are the two restaurants here. The Gift Shop, The Bottle Shop which stocks exclusive brands which can be bought only at the winery, The Tasting Room facing the vineyards and backwaters of the Gangapur Dam.

History

Sula Vineyards was founded by Mr. Rajeev Samant in the late 1990s. Samant studied at Stanford University and worked at Oracle in California thereafter. After quitting his corporate job, Samant established Sula upon his return to India.
Sula was named after Samant's mother – 'Sulabha'. Samant steadily grew the company over the next few years by introducing newer grape varieties and expanding the company's offerings. The Nashik region has been called "India’s Napa Valley."
Currently, Sula operates two wineries at Nashik and Dindori in Maharashtra, and has taken over three custom crush facilities in Nashik and Karnataka.
Sula's grapes come from their vineyards as well as from contract farmers across the region. The company's viticulture team trains and educates these farmers on best practices. In 2015, Sula announced a price increase of 10% for its contract farmers in order to support the farmers through unpredictable changes in weather as well as to meet the increasing demand for wine in India.

Products

Wines

Sula's domestic products includes the following wines:
Red wine
White wine
Rosé Wine
Sparkling Wine
Dessert wine
As of July 2015, Sula ventured into the production of spirits and launched India's first 100% grape brandy, 'Janus'.

Import and export

Sula's import arm, 'Sula Selections', partners with leading global wine and spirit brands and distributes them to the Indian market. Some of the import selections are Glenfiddich, Remy Martin, Asahi, and Hardy's.
Sula exports to 26 countries and is listed with Marks & Spencers, an international UK-based retail brand.

Business decisions

During the recession in India between 2008-2009, the Indian wine industry was heavily impacted because of large quantities of unsold wines and delayed payments. This affected not only the wine companies but also the Indian farmers. Samant decided to reduce next year's grape crushing targets and to introduce a line of affordable wines at a lower price range in order to weather these losses. These decisions eventually helped the company to evolve their business model and to reach larger market segments.

Sustainability

As per their "grow good wine with minimal environmental impact," Sula has undertaken the following environmental sustainable practices at their Nashik winery:
The annual live music festival ‘SulaFest’ takes place at their Nashik winery.
SulaFest is an annual two-day 'gourmet world music festival' held at Sula Vineyards in Nashik. With an exception to the 10th SulaFest which was a three-day festival. Started in 2008, this festival offers music, drinks, food, and fashion. Some of the activities the festival-goers can engage in include grape stomping, wine tasting, and camping.

Awards and recognition