Sula's shooting star

THE WINE CLUB

The last (but not the least) of the 'big three' Indian winemakers is Sula (the company's name is actually Samant Soma Wines), which has wineries located near Nashik on the banks of the lake formed by the Gangapur dam, and which has emerged as the second-largest wine company in India after Indage.

CEO Rajeev Samant's story is so well-known it's almost a cliche: the Stanford graduate working with Intel in the US who returned to India in 1993 to pursue a dream, started a vineyard in 1997 on some unused ancestral property, and who is poised to 'go public' and reap the reward of nearly 10 years of hard work.

Sula set a new trend in winemaking and marketing in India: its original winery, designed by the well-known architect Rajiv Mehrotra is a Spanish hacienda type white-walled structure with red-tiled low sloping roofs that would not be out of place in the Napa Valley; the Californian winemaker Kerry Damskey (he signs off Sula's wines) to make the wines; the well-designed labels of its wines produced in India, which all bear the trademark Sun symbol (its Indianness accentuated by a tilak and moustache); and the product launches, which back in 2000-01 were landmark events in the world of wine.

This confidence is reflected in its accessibility: you can simply call the winery to arrange a visit, and winemaker Ajay Shaw may even take you round personally.

Rajeev is a hands-on boss, and when he's not overseas searching for better wines to bring to India or selling his own stuff overseas, he's trying to educate the Indian

bureaucracy on the benefits of liberalising by removing controls and taxes.

To my mind Sula is the most market-savvy of the wine companies, and is likely to be the most successful. Its product portfolio spans the gamut of wine types and price points and consists of the following wines:

Made in India "" Sula Brut (sparkling, Rs 470), Sula Chenin Blanc (Rs 400), Sula Sauvignon Blanc (Rs 440), Sula Cabernet Shiraz (Rs 440), the Blush Zinfandel (Rs 400) and the entry level Madera red/white wines (Rs 210).

The Bottled in India (BII) wines are the hugely successful Satori Merlot and the Pacifica Chardonnay (both at Rs 400).

Lastly, Sula has launched a range of Bottled in Origin (BIO "" imported) wines from nine countries: there is the Astica range from Argentina (Rs 675); Hardy's Stamp of Australia (Rs 765-800) and the Nottage Hill Chardonnay (Rs 950); two wines from Santa Rita's 120 range (Chile, Rs 900); Michel Lynch (France, Rs 650-700); a stunning range from Ruffino of Italy (Rs 900-5,000); Two Oceans of South Africa; Fortant de France (around Rs 850); Taylor's Port from Portugal; and Marques de Cáceres from Spain (Rs 900). The complete range is available at retail only in Mumbai and Goa.

Sula is forecasting to grow volumes to nearly 1,00,000 cases this year "" a landmark achievement. We'll raise a glass to that. Prost!

 al_chandra@yahoo.co.uk