Sula, which has a 70 percent share of India’s wine market, is using the vineyard visits to this end. The company says 600 to 700 day-trippers or resort guests drop by each weekend for a tour, a meal or a drink on the balcony bar. The mixed clientele on a recent Saturday suggested that wine’s appeal is...

Cecilia Oldne, the head of international business and the global brand ambassador of Sula Vineyards, says “consistency can make India a leading wine producer.” Oldne, in her five years with the company has taken its products to 20 countries, 10 more than when she came on board. Over the years, Sula has...

Into a very niche profession of a sommelier or a wine taster, Sovna Puri is at present the marketing head of tasting and training at Sula Vineyards. She is also working as an educator of wines and conducts courses run by UK-based WSET, in Mumbai. Puri finds a certain curiosity factor around this drink...

Perhaps the export market is promising, as India seems to have just now cracked the quality barrier. After all, a Syrah and Ritu Viognier from Zampa in Maharashtra state flew off the shelves of Waitrose in the UK when it was trialled this time last year. And the international reputation of nearby Sula...

Although efforts have been made to export Indian wines for 25 years, the “balance of trade” between Indian wines exported and imported wines is still terribly one-sided, with only about 35,000 cases exported against some 300,000 cases of wines imported into India in 2011-12. The value would be even more...

Grapevines enjoy a winterless wonderland in the tropical wine country of India. That is, they would enjoy it if their keepers didn’t induce the dormancy of the deciduous vines by hacking them down each spring. “See you after the monsoon,” says the farmer to his stumped vines, and he walks away with his...

A leopard was spotted in Sula vineyards late in the evening on Saturday following which a panchnama was done but only on Monday morning. The leopard that has been spotted in the vicinity in the past few years, is known to have done no harm to human beings neither has it destroyed fields nearby. "The...

The ‘Pro Food Pro Pack 2012’ held from 6-8 July 2012 at BMICH Colombo provided a platform to around 45 participating Indian companies to showcase their wide range of agro and food products to the Sri Lankan public and business community. There was strong buyer interest in the Indian products such as...

Sula Vineyards, which has an estimated 65-70% share of the country’s domestically produced wine market of 1.2 million cases, has expanded capacity by sub-contracting and taking over the running of four wineries—three in Maharashtra and one in Karnataka. Chief executive Rajeev Samant is confident that...

Cognac is a top variety of grape brandy originating from the Cognac region of France. Luxury cognac maker Remy Cointreau looks to start local bottling of brandies, uncorking India-specific brands, for a bigger consumption story in one of the fastest growing spirits markets. French drinks giant Remy Cointreau...