Sula Vineyards celebrates 25 years with new Merlot and a give attention to sustainability

With regards to changing a sunlit patch of land into an area for wine lovers, Sula Vineyards has charted a gentle course.

Based in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, by Rajeev Samant, Sula has spent 25 years exploring the potential of Indian winemaking, displaying that with a mix of foresight and flexibility, it’s doable to carve out a distinct segment in a market the place wine consumption has historically been restricted.

At a current monsoon tasting occasion organised by Sula, we wandered by means of lush grape farms, set at an elevation of 600 metres from the ocean degree, towards the gorgeous backdrop of the Western Ghats. Sula’s winemakers — Rahul Extra, Rupali Bhatnagar, alongside different members of the group — shared insights of the winemaking course of, from grape harvesting to fermentation, urgent, clarification, ageing, and bottling.

The expertise included tastings immediately from the tanks, adopted by a curated session at Past by Sula, an unique property nestled behind the hills of Gangapur, the place we sampled a collection of six wines from the Supply vary. Subsequently, we visited the barrel storage, the place we tried wines straight from the barrels, studying how the wooden’s traits impart flavours to the wine.

Sula’s monsoon wine tasting session at its Nashik property. The wines have been paired with pathrode, a traditional Indian snack made with steamed colocasia leaves.
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Particular Association

A milestone launch 

A few weeks after the monsoon tasting occasion, Sula launched its latest wine — Sula Merlot, at the side of its twenty fifth anniversary. Marking a big milestone within the model’s evolution, the merlot was the primary addition to the core Sula collection in practically a decade.

In a area that experiences each extreme drought and demanding monsoon seasons, Sula has adopted revolutionary methods to preserve water. Throughout the monsoon, the vineyard harvests as much as 90% of its annual water wants and reuses handled water to minimise its carbon footprint. 

Karan Vasani, COO at Sula, is optimistic in regards to the rising wine market in India.
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Particular Association

Based on Karan Vasani, Chief Working Officer, Sula, drip irrigation techniques have been put in, leading to a 40% discount in water consumption, and photo voltaic power performs a big function of their operations.

Shifting seasons

Discussing the challenges posed by local weather change, notably the rising temperatures in Nashik, Karan says Sula has tailored its viticulture practices, equivalent to early harvest, to mitigate the impression of pre-summer harsh temperatures or late monsoons that may have an effect on the acidity of the grapes. 

Grapevines bear two development cycles: the primary cycle includes harvesting from January to March, whereas the second cycle begins in September and runs till March. After the harvest, the vegetation are pruned again, and new development happens from late April to August. Nevertheless, through the latter a part of the rising season, no crop is produced.

“Previously, we’d begin pruning and making ready for the brand new season on the finish of August. Now, we’ve shifted that to the second week of September to keep away from the danger of late monsoon rains. This variation has additionally influenced the type of our wines. The alcohol content material in wine is linked to the sugar content material of the grapes, which is transformed to alcohol throughout fermentation. By delaying the beginning of the rising season, we will harvest grapes later within the winter, permitting them to ripen through the summer time months,” says Karan.

A chicken’s eye view of Sula Vineyards, Nashik. The corporate has adopted sustainable initiatives like photo voltaic power, apart from tweaking their viticulture practices to altering climate patterns.
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association

This strategy helps keep the specified flavour profile. Sula goals for barely decrease alcohol ranges of their wines to boost pure flavours and protect acidity, which is essential within the scorching local weather of Nashik. “Whereas acidity is commonly misunderstood, it performs an vital function within the steadiness and drinkability of each white and purple wines. To attain this, we’ve got opted to reap grapes a bit earlier, leading to extra pure flavours with out counting on exterior acidic changes,” Karan says.

Sula can be leveraging trendy agricultural applied sciences, equivalent to information techniques for microclimate monitoring and water administration. Nonetheless, Karan has nice confidence within the practically 800 farmers Sula companions with for grape manufacturing.

A toast to vary

In India, the wine market remains to be evolving, particularly amongst these aged 25 to 40. Whereas the nation lacks a sturdy wine tradition, there’s now vital curiosity in wine. 

“There’s a notable shift in shopper behaviour as alcohol consumption turns into extra accepted, notably amongst ladies. As we speak, ladies have higher company than earlier generations, typically selecting wine even when their companions favor beer. This variation represents a rising market and alternative for the wine trade in India,” Karan says.

When requested about Sula’s place amongst its contemporaries, Karan says that there isn’t a worth in competing for a small slice of the pie. “Our focus is on increasing the general market. As shopper consciousness will increase and extra Indians journey to locations like Europe, they grow to be extra acquainted with wine tradition. We intention to enter cities like Coimbatore and Moradabad. A generational shift is going on, and I genuinely consider that India’s wine tradition can have its second within the solar,” he says.

The author was in Nashik on the invitation of Sula Vineyards

The barrel room in Sula Vineyards, Nashik the place the wine is let to age.

Sula’s monsoon wine tasting session at its Nashik property.