SPOTLIGHT ON… Sula Vineyards Dindori Reserve Shiraz

It’s tough producing wine in India, but the team at Sula make it look like child’s play!  The temperature for one can be a challenge (sometimes cold, sometimes baking), but Sula take everything in their stride.  They’ve even created a sustainability charter that drives their winemaking techniques.  For starters, they collect 90% of their water needs during the monsoon period, re-treating it to reduce their carbon footprint, and established an efficient drip irrigation system to keep water usage at an all time low.  All this means they recycle nearly 40 million litres of water every year.  They also use extensive solar power in everything they do.

Situated on the west of the Maharashtra province in central India, Sula Vineyards are situated in the heart of India’s largest grape-growing region.  A spectacular estate and hotel that has single-handedly turned Indian wine tourism into a phenomenon – literally thousands of visitors flood through Sula’s gates every year to kick back with a picnic and discover their delicious wares.

Since 1997, the winery has been producing French grape varieties of exceptional quality, under the watchful eye of winemaker Kerry Damsky, the ‘Indiana Jones’ of winemaking!  Dindori Reserve 100% Shiraz (or Syrah) is fermented in stainless steel tanks, before being transferred to a combination of French and American oak barrels to age for a further 12 months before bottling.  It has a super integration of soft tannins, damson fruit and a balanced acidity that ensures it will stand up to some really robust food.

Read more about the Indian wine industry in Hannibal’s Blog.