|  Carrying on with the tradition set by Indage Vintners which exported the first sparkling wine of India, Marquis de Pompadour as Omar Khayyam, and recently Four Seasons introducing Ritu label for exports, Sula has been innovative once again and gone a step further. First to use the name of village Dindori for its Reserve Labels-Shiraz and Viognier, thus capitalizing on the name of the village where several wineries and vineyards are located, it has apparently created the Nasika label since Nasik has become the buzzword in the Indian world of wine.
It has tied up with Direct Wines Ltd. who owns Laithwaite’s Wine UK for sale of two of its labels-Nasika Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and Nasika Zinfandel for sale on the website.
Indian wines were first introduced on line by Globus Fine Wines in 2010 with Miazma label priced at £15 for the regular varietals and £17 for the Reserve. delWine had then suggested to Karan Jain, the Director of Globus, that at that price it might not be a viable proposal for the price-sensitive customers even if it were a niche market. One did not hear much about Miazma after that.
A year later, Waitrose signed up with Four Season and Zampa for select labels but all under £10. Waitrose, the well-known supermarket had introduced Ritu Viognier 2010 white and Zampa Syrah 2008 red. Produced in Maharashtra, both wines were discounted in price as part of the supermarket's then autumn promotion, with the white initially costing £6.99 and the red £8.49. The report in delWine had then clarified that though the British media had reported these wines as being the first Indian wines in the UK supermarkets, Omar Khayyam sparkling wine was being imported by Champagne Indage (later Indage Vintners and now undergoing bankruptcy proceedings) and they ought to get the mention.
Indian Wines Waltzing Away at Waitrose
Laithwaite’s Head Winemaker, Jean-Marc Sauboua, who had travelled to India to explore the 2012 as well as the 2013 vintage of Indian wines, was impressed by the quality of the wines especially the  fresh Sauvignon Blanc 2013 and the juicy Zinfandel 2012, informs Cecilia Oldne, the Global Brand Ambassador and the Head of International Business and Communications for Sula. The UK customers can place the order over the phone or through the internet rather than traveling to a retail store, making the door step delivery very convenient.
Laithwaite’s Wine also owns and operates a number of their own vineyards/wine making facilities in the UK, France, USA and Australia. Laithwaite’s Wine specializes in Direct Marketing, Wine, E-Commerce, Supply Chain Logistics, Sales, Merchandising and Customer Services.
The Nasika wines are being priced at £7.99 and were launched yesterday. Rajeev was with Direct Wines in London for a media launch. Though not the first Indian label on the internet or mail/order, Sula Vineyards' wines are the first to be selected by Direct Wines.
Interestingly, the website of Winedirect.com lists the regular Sula labels - Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Zinfandel 2011 and Shiraz 2011 at £8.50 on a case basis whereas the higher-ended Dindori Reserve Shiraz lists at £11. But Wine Direct has no relation to Laithwaite's or Direct Wines Ltd. and buys Sula wines from their importer Hallgarten. Nasika cannot be bought or sold through any other medium apart from Laithwaite's.
However, Laithwaite’s website site displays the two Nasika wines at £7.99, any quantity, mix-n-match.
Founded by Tony Laithwaite, Direct Wines is an International independent wine merchant with current revenues of £350m. It launched its first non-UK business in 2007 and currently has operations in the USA, Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Germany and India where it holds majority stakes in the Wine Society of India. The three companies it owns-Laithwaite’s, Averys and Virgin Wines in the UK - are operated independently and are responsible for sourcing and marketing their own wines. They own and operate a number of vineyards and wineries in the UK, France, USA.
It would be curious to see if Sula gets Direct Wines to become an equity partner in Sula one day.
Subhash Arora
Tags: Nasik, Sula, Direct Wines, Laithwaite’s Wine, Dindori, Jean-Marc Sauboua, Cecilia Oldne |