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Boby Kurian

Bangalore , Nov. 19

THE Nasik-based Sula Vineyards is likely to report 75 per cent jump in sales volume to touch 42,000 cases in the domestic market during the current financial year, 2003-04. Sula sold 24,000 cases (each case of 12 bottles) in the previous year, and the sales projection for the ongoing year could beat the industry growing at 40 per cent year-on-year.

Mr Adrian Pinto, General Manager (National Sales & Marketing), Sula Vineyards, said the company has been garnering most of the growth happening in the domestic wine market with production of roughly three lakh cases annually (excluding imports). "We see a lot of growth in the Rs 400 to Rs 600 price bracket, and most of our premium offerings such as Sula Brut, Sula Seco, Satori Merlot and Pacifica Chardonnay have been doing well," Mr Pinto said. Meanwhile, Sula's mass market offering, Madera Red Wine, a blended, fruity, light bodied wine with 12.5 per cent alcohol and priced at around Rs 200 for 750 ml has also performed well, especially in the provincial towns of Maharashtra where it now sells about 1,000 cases monthly, up from 500 cases more than a year back.

Sula started operations in 1997. It is credited with changing the face of the red wine dominated domestic industry with a portfolio of value for money offerings matching international standards across spectrums of sparkling wines, red, whites and roses. The company closed last year with Rs 6 crore turnover and is projected to end the current year with Rs 10 crore.

"We sell all of what we make," Mr Pinto added explaining that growth has been limited by production constraints. Sula is developing a new winery of five lakh litres and 250 acres of vineyard in addition to the existing plant capacity of 1.70 lakh litres and 35 acres of vineyard in Nasik. This could ease pressure on supply as India is emerging as one among 15 fastest growing wine markets in the world. Further, Sula has also been receiving export orders from matured wine markets like France, Italy and the US.

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