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 Jewel of Nasik Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel Rosé and Tempranillo- Shiraz have been priced at £6.99 and are already available in 250 stores of M&S across the UK, says Cecilia who had a long chat with Arora about the launch and other projects in UK after her recent visit to London and other UK cities. Two containers of the 3 labels were shipped last month and were available for launch a couple of weeks ago. The response has been very good and looking at the current sales pattern, Sula expects another order in the next 6 months. ‘We are also exploring markets for this label outside UK jointly with Marks and Spencer. M & S has had several tastings including press and staff tastings with promos carried out for the range. Visiting some of their stores last week, I could see a lot of excitement around their first Indian wine. When chatting with the staff the response was very encouraging with them even recommending to me the range, not knowing where I was from,’ says Cecilia who is a Swedish national. She has been working with Sula since 2007 but has maintained the colour of her skin and nationality. She was chosen as one of the Top Ten Women in Wine by delWine in 2013.
Jewel of India
The brand ‘Jewel of Nasik’ is owned by M&S but the long term contract will ensure that Sula will be the sole supplier for wines. In fact, the back label clearly shows it was made by Sula and gives a bit of history of Sula as well. The retail price of £6.99 has been kept very reasonable considering that the customs duty in UK is £ 2.05 for a 750ml bottle and the price includes VAT of £1.40, leaving only £3.55 (Rs.350) for Sula and Marks & Spencer, indicating how competitive the UK market is.
The quality specs fall in their Premium Range category. The flying winemaker of M & S, Jeneve Williams from New Zealand worked with Sula’s Chief Winemaker Ajoy Shaw to make wines  suitable for the UK palate and matched with Indian food. White wine is the same as the regular Sauvignon Blanc while the Rosé is slightly dryer than Sula Rosé at 5 grams/liter compared to the sweeter Indian version at 15 grams/liter. The red is a Tempranillo- Shiraz blend that is not on Sula’s portfolio in India but made exclusively for M&S.
Rajeev Samant, Founder CEO of Sula Vineyards is quite pleased with the Agreement. He says, ‘Sula and M&S share the same ideologies, following the strictest standards also when it comes to sustainable practices. M&S’ ultimate goal is to become the world’s most sustainable major retailer. We fully support this plan as we strive to become one of the world’s most sustainable wine producers and thus this association is a perfect fit.’
Sales Direct
Interestingly, the sale was made directly and not through their distributor Hallgarten Druitt for whom she conducted tastings in London, Bristol and Lincolnshire for select costumers and sales teams across the country. Hallgarten distributes Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Zinfandel, Shiraz and Dindori Shiraz, focusing on-trade, including restaurants and hotels. They have Sula listed also in boutique wine stores, cruise-liners and Amazon UK. They will also showcase the Sula portfolio  at the 34th edition of London Wine Fair in Olympia starting on June 3.
Cecilia also conducted tastings for Direct Wines when in England for their sales team including customer service. Customers of Laithwaites, the world's #1 direct-to-consumer wine merchant, will have a Nasika Sauvignon Blanc in the summer selection.
Sula Vineyards exports to 25 countries across Asia, Europe, USA and Canada. In 2013, the company showed strong growth rates in the competitive global marketplace. Cecilia is quite elated at the turn of events in the UK market which has become its No. 1 export market. ‘One of my goals when joining Sula was to establish India with Sula at the forefront as a renowned wine producing country on the world wine map. I believe this is a giant step in that direction and we are thrilled about this accomplishment,’ she says.
In the meanwhile, Sula Rasa Shiraz has won a silver Medal-the only medal won by any Indian wine in the Syrah-du-Monde annual competition 2014.
Subhash Arora
Tags: Jewel of Nasik, Sula, Marks and Spencer, Rajeev Samant, Hallgarten Druitt, Sula Vineyards, Sula Rasa Shiraz |