The idea of the Sula Vineyard came about when Rajeev Samant, the founder of Sula quit his job in America and returned to India. The land where the first Sula vineyard opened belonged to his father who was looking to sell it. Rajeev told his dad not to sell the land, saying he wanted to do something there. After some trial and error with other crops, he realised that Nashik had always been growing grapes and growing wine grapes here was an option.
“25 years ago farmers didn’t want to grow grapes for Sula saying that you’ll make alcohol with it. Today they love growing grapes for us. When we sign contracts with our farmers, we sign 10-12 year contracts with guaranteed price increases and there is no crop that consistently earns more money for farmers than wine grapes,” says Karan Vasani, Sula’s Chief Operating Officer.
Today, apart from producing a variety of Indian wines, the company has two luxury properties - The Source at Sula and Beyond by Sula. They are also building a 30-room resort at York Winery which is set to open in 2026.
At The Source at Sula, India's first heritage winery resort which sits amidst the grounds of Sula's inaugural winery, one can live amidst nature, in rooms that are named after different wine regions and also sign up for a wine tour. Located near Nashik, the vineyard has 58% of their total energy needs met by solar power, uses Electric Vehicles and aims to go carbon net zero by 2050.The surroundings are lush and rooms are large and well equipped with modern amenities.
While many of us enjoy wine, watching and learning how it’s made and all the work that goes into it, helps appreciate it even more. While there are many perceived does and don’t about drinking wine, learning how it’s made, in many ways, simplifies one’s understanding of it and also helps you identify the kind of wine you like and enjoy.
“You can show up here in your shorts and your flip-flops and your torn t-shirt, and we couldn't care less. We don’t want wine to be intimidating. Our belief is that life is too short, drink what you like. There are 20 different types of wine and they all taste different. When we do our tour people get to taste 6 wines. We guarantee, they won't like all 6. But we guarantee you'll at least love 2 or 3,” says Vasani.
What Happens On A Wine Tour At Sula?
A guided tour of the vineyard begins with a short video clip that’s an introduction to Sula and its history. This is then followed by a visit to the processing unit where one is shown the equipment which is used in the wine making, the tanks and the barrel hall.
“It’s good that people see the tanks and the actual equipment. It gives you a different perspective about wine making. People think wine is still made in the olden style where people are stomping in the basket and that's how they extract the juice but that's not the way it happens anymore. Winemaking has come a long way. When one sees these imported, advanced machines which are used in the process and also get to enter the tank hall and smell the wine, enter the barrel room and experience the unique smell of wood, it broadens their perspective,” says Rahul More, Deputy General Manager, Winemaking and Exports at Sula Vineyards.
At the Barrel Room, one learns all about the process of maturation. “It's a misunderstanding that the older the wine, the better it is going to be. There are certain varieties which are meant for ageing and the winemaker needs to keep that in mind when they're making that wine. A Couple of factors could affect that. For example, when you want to make a wine that can age for let's say 8, 10, 12 years, it needs to have a good amount of acidity, and tannins if it's a red wine. Since sweet wines have a lot of sugar concentration in them, they also tend to age well. So one cannot simply buy a bottle of wine, any random variety and stick it in the fridge and expect that the wine is going to taste great after 10 years,” More shares.
“95 or maybe more than that percent of the wines are meant to be consumed within the same year that they're produced. So when making a lot of our wines we want them to be fresh, youthful and more approachable. So the entire classic Soula range is not aged for very long, matter of fact some of our wines the Chenin Blanc, the Sauvignon, the classic Soula, Riesling they're not aged at all, they'll be fermented in stainless steel tanks, post a couple of months, clarification and filtration they're ready to be bottled in less than three months and they can be consumed in the fourth month itself,” he explains.
More also clarifies that ageing doesn't always mean that the wine was aged in barrel. “There is bottle ageing and then there is barrel ageing. Bottle ageing also adds complexity to the wine and the flavours become more integrated, the tannins become more silky. White wines start developing tertiary characters in them which gives it another layer of complexity.”
The session ends with a guided tasting of six different styles of wine, where each wine is unique. The tasting includes everything from rosé to sparkling, a red wine, a white wine and a barrel aged wine. This is actually a fun way for people who are new to drinking wine to be introduced to the basics of wine tasting, and to have an idea of what they like and what they don’t.
At the monsoon tasting, Rupali Bhatnagar and Yogesh D. Patil, Winemakers at Sula Vineyards, expertly explain the unique characteristics and meticulous craftsmanship involved in the creation of The Source Sauvignon Blanc, The Source Chenin Blanc Reserve, The Source Grenache Rosé, The Source Pinot Noir, The Source Cabernet Sauvignon, a Sparkling wine, and the highly sought-after dessert wine – The Source Moscato. The wines are served with dishes such as Kanda Bhaji paired with sparkling wine or an elevated Aluwadi with Koshimbir Mousse.
One can also sign up for a "Craft Your Blend" session where with the guidance and supervision of experts, different types and quantities of wine can be blended together to create one’s own blend.
The Best Time To Visit Sula
While the rains make everything green and lush and the weather in Nashik is great during the monsoon, the best time to visit Sula would actually be February-March because that’s when one gets to see the crushing. There is fruit at the crush pad, one can see people unloading it, crushing it and there’s a unique fermentation smell in the tank hall, all making for an interesting experience.