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 It is being produced by Methode Traditionelle in which the second fermentation is carried out in the bottle and the wine is left on the lees for over 12 months. The grapes are from contracted sites in Niphad and were harvested on 8th January 2015 at 20 Brix (measure of potential alcohol). Although the wine won’t be ready for 5-6 months, a few sample bottles were disgorged and bottled for tasting at the fest. The sugar content is around 5-6 gms/liter. ‘It is quite creamy so we don’t want to make it too sweet,’ says Ajoy Shaw, Chief Winemaker at Sula. He adds, ‘Rupali Bhatnagar, our winemaker for sparkling wines, decided the yeasts for fermentation in the barrels which were one-time used barriques. Batonage was carried out twice a week generally.’
Ajoy did clarify that the wine was still a work-in-progress and with 4-5 tons of grapes they expected to produce less than 100 cases. It’s not feasible to retail such small quantities so they will be sold only through the tasting room. In case you were wondering, these grapes were being used earlier in the blend to make Sula Brut but as an experiment have been diverted for a sparkling wine with 100% Chardonnay.
What would it be priced at? ‘For that you will have to ask RS (Rajeev Samant) or DB (VP and National Head of Sales Deepak Bhatnagar) but I don’t think it has been decided yet. Obviously, it is an Elite wine (In Sula’s terminology wines selling for over Rs. 1000 are in this super-premium category though Dindori Reserve selling for under Rs. 1,000 has also been included in this category). Our Tropicale Brut introduced last year has been priced at Rs. 1250 and both Rasa Cabernet and Viognier sell for around Rs. 1750. I presume it would be somewhere in between.’ Considering the tough competition with the strong, internationally branded and pedigreed Chandon Brut selling for Rs. 1200 and Rose Brut at Rs. 1400, they would be playing with fire if they kept the price above Chandon although the small production can fetch a higher price initially at the cellar door.
 The bubbly was clean, fruity with notes of citrus on the nose and the palate, green apples and good mouthfeel and creamy texture in the mouth, but like most Indian bubblies the zinginess and quality of bubbles is very much related to how chilled it is. The moment the temperature went up as it warmed in the glass, the texture faltered a little. Hopefully, this will get better after 5-6 months more in the bottle. The sparkler had persistent taste on the back-end and with medium length.
It will be a good time to visit the winery when the wine will be available for sale later in November- December. It might still be available at the SulaFest 2017 but that will naturally depend upon the actual time of release. It seems Sula is sharpening the tools in their tool-box to ensure Chandon does not make a clean sweep because of its ‘champagne ‘ image and brand strength and- let’s face it, the quality is not bad either!
The wine sparkled even better with the home-made goat cheese Chef Morgan of Soleil in Plage at Sula has made for consumption at the restaurant and will hopefully be available for sale outside the restaurant once the quantity can be increased. The bubbly was very compatible in texture and sugar content and had the right acidity to make the cheese and Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay Brut a perfect match for the Menu.
Tempranillo
 After tasting the Charosa Tempranillo Reserve 2012 in October 2013, I was impressed enough to suggest and predict that the grape will become a sweetheart of Indian palates and being a warm weather, early ripening grape, Indian producers ought to try growing the variety. Apparently Sula concurs and has since planted about 75 acres of Tempranillo in different patches, mostly in Dindori and Niphad, out of which 10 acres are already bearing fruit fit for making wine, mostly in Niphad.
As Rajeev says, with the impact of global warming the growers should think of early ripening grapes when the weather is slightly cool and Tempranillo seems to be an excellent choice. Coincidentally, other producers are also getting on the Tempranillo bandwagon and are experimenting with the variety. I believe that though the grape may not become as popular and ubiquitous as in Spain but it will get a much higher attention and surface area for plantation than in the recent past.
So far, Sula has been using the grapes primarily in the Tempranillo- Shiraz red wine blend for Marks and Spencer but as more fruit is ready to crush for wine, one may see the varietal or even a blend in the market. Reportedly Sula is not too happy with Malbec and many vines are being uprooted to give way to the highly popular Spanish grape.
Sula is known to be pro-active and always staying a couple of steps ahead of the competition. The Blanc de Blanc Brut from 100% Chardonnay and continuous experimentation to use Tempranillo are but a couple of small examples of the vision of the company.
Subhash Arora |