What do Sancerre, Pouilly Fuisse, Valpolicella, Pauillac and Dindori have in common? They all make good wines; more specifically, these are small wine producing villages or towns, making wines in a particular style and representing a small wine-making region.

And which one of these places does not fit in with the rest? Answer: Dindori. It is a wine label owned by Sula for its beautiful red Shiraz Reserva made from grapes grown on its estate in Dindori, which is about 45 minutes away from Nashik.

Sula owns over 250 acres of vineyards in this village. So do several other growers such as N.D. Wines and Chateau d'Ori, and many more are flocking daily to purchase land and vineyards in this village. Sula made a very smart move by adopting this nomenclature and creating the brand. It should yield rich dividends in the years ahead.

Last year, when I visited the Sula vineyards in Nashik and Dindori, I was pleasantly surprised when I was offered a red wine that I thought was far superior to the existing Satori Merlot. A full-bodied, ruby red, dry wine, it was full of spicy aromas. A clean wine, it is fleshy and full of berry flavours. Aging for 12 months in oak has given it a spicy, vanilla flavour. Tannins are well-rounded.

It is truly a wine that would go well with Tandoori and Mughlai cuisine. Vegetarians could try it with baingan-ka-saalan as well as green beans and leafy vegetables that are cooked in thick gravy. Fish and seafood won't work with it. Risotto, pastas with meat sauces, pepperoni or ham pizza, chorizo and salami and hard cheeses will make an excellent accompaniments. And how about having it with Hungarian Goulash packed with chunks of lamb?

I have been recommending it to my friends in Mumbai and to those who travel frequently to that city to taste the best that India has to offer in reds. Fortunately, it is now available also in Gurgaon at the air-conditioned wine shop at 57, Sahara Mall. At Rs 675, it is the fist Indian still wine to have crossed the Rs 500 barrier.

Indian wines have to move up the quality chain if we want to be known as a serious wine producing nation internationally. This wine does the job and is a better buy than most entry-level imported reds, which are overpriced as a result of the back-breaking taxes riding on them.

I believe it'll be available soon in Delhi. Due to the excise laws that make it obligatory for the seller to charge the lowest selling price anywhere in India, I expect the MRP to be Rs 650, which I believe is the price in Mumbai. A 'must try' wine for all ye red wine lovers who believe in and understand quality!

Serve slightly cool at 16 degrees, though 18 degrees will be fine too. Don't get foxed by 'Alc 20 deg proof' on the bottle in Gurgaon. I believe it has something to do with the laws in force in Haryana. I wish the administrators would appreciate the concept of alcohol by volume in wine and not think of it as liquor.

All the Sula wines in the store are labelled as such. It's the first time I have noticed this on any wine label in the world. If not misleading, it is leading nowhere.