Tag Archives: India

Sula Vineyards crushes over 50% more Grapes in Harvest 2019 compared to 2018

Sula Vineyards crushed a total of over 9,000 tonnes of wine grapes in FY 2019-20, which is about 50% more than what was crushed by the company in FY 2018-19. According to the company, this was possible due to a decent monsoon and following conducive weather conditions for cultivating wine grapes. These figures are expected to help Sula cross its own record-breaking 2018 sales, over 1 million cases world-wide.

Chief Winemaker, Senior Vice President – Vineyard and Winery Operations Karan Vasani elaborated on the Harvest events: “This year, the distribution amongst the varietals was around 55% of red variety grapes and 45% of white grapes crushed. Most of the grapes are crushed and processed in Nashik and Southern parts of Maharashtra although some harvesting and crushing are also done in Karnataka for the wines to be made and sold in Karnataka by Sula Vineyards under its brand Kadu.”

While 2019 was positive for grape-growing conditions, the weather may be indicative of the impacts of climate change. The harvest was slightly delayed this year, starting in mid-December and went on till the first week of April.

“Wine-making is such an old process, the challenges will alw

ays be the weather,” explains Founder and CEO of Sula Vineyards Rajeev Samant. “Our planet is in danger and our priority needs to be our impact on the environment. There is lots of waste generated by the traditional production and crushing process. Instead, we use every part of the grape, from seed to skin. After the grape juice is extracted the seeds are used to make grapeseed oil and the remaining mulch becomes compost for our vines,” he explains. Sula Vineyards is committed to protecting India for the future by planting more and more trees.

Sula is also cultivating additional land across Maharashtra and Karnataka, giving a boost to the agri sector. Sula planted 360 acres in 2018 and will plant an additional 340 in 2019. This will take their total area under wine grape plantations to about 3000 acres which will also add to the rural employment numbers. Today, almost 510 farmers from Maharashtra and Karnataka are working with Sula with assured buy back contracts.

In general, Maharashtra saw a bumper grape harvest this season with figures from Nashik district, the heart of India’s grape region, crossing 1.43 lakh tonnes of grapes. About 2% of these grapes are wine grapes. However, except for 2017 when the highway liquor ban was put in motion, the Indian wine industry has recorded a steady growth in CAGR, which means that more and more Indians are drinking wine, in many cases switching away from hard liquor.

Neeraj Kumar named Beam Suntory’s Managing Director, India

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Beam Suntory has appointed Neeraj Kumar to serve as Managing Director, India, effective May 2019. With leading brands like Teacher’s and Jim Beam, the company has an ambitious goal of reaching $1 billion in sales by 2030.

“Neeraj is the ideal leader to guide the next wave of growth in our India business unit,” said Pryce Greenow, Beam Suntory’s President, International. “Since joining Beam Suntory, Neeraj has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and brings a wealth of marketing and sales experience to the role. We’re always looking to provide greater leadership opportunities for our top talent, and Neeraj has the leadership capabilities, character and determination to help us achieve our ambitions to grow India into one of our biggest markets.”

Beam Suntory in India has offices in Gurgaon, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and a primary bottling facility in Rajasthan.

Kumar is a veteran marketing and strategy leader with more than 25 years of marketing, sales, and strategy experience. Kumar joined Beam Suntory in 2008 as Marketing Director, India helping build the leadership position for Teacher’s Scotch in India while expanding Jim Beam. In 2016, he assumed the position of Marketing Director, Emerging Asia, helping establish new routes-to-market in China and South Korea. Kumar has been a key leader in helping deliver sustained performance in India, a priority emerging market for Beam Suntory.

“India is a strategic priority for Beam Suntory, and I couldn’t be more energized to be charged with our ambitious growth agenda and leading our passionate India team,” said Kumar. “Our growth plans reflect a strong commitment from Beam Suntory to the Indian market and our vision of Growing for Good, protecting water and the environment, giving back to our communities, and promoting responsible consumption of our products.”

Prior to Beam Suntory, Kumar served in roles of increasing responsibility at PepsiCo Nepal and Electrolux India, where he rose to the position of Vice President Marketing & Strategy at Electrolux Major Appliances.

Sparta – VSOP French brandy is the next need-to-have bottle for your home bar!

KALS Group, Southern India’s alcobev company announced the launch of Sparta – India’s most admired premium grape brandy.

Sparta is an authentic French VSOP brandy that has native elements of authentic French grapes from Cognac Region, which is matured to the tune of 3+ years.

The high-spirited growth of KALS

Deriving its name from ancient Greece – A city in the southern Peloponnese in Greece, capital of the department of Laconia; population 14,400 (est. 2009). It was a powerful city state in the 5th century BC, defeating its rival Athens in the Peloponnesian War to become the leading city of Greece, Sparta embodies the exceptional French style of making heritage and the expertise. Sparta is known for its winning spirit and Sparta of KALS is expected to be the curtain raiser for well-informed connoisseurs!

Sparta is made from carefully selected grapes from the best Indian vineyards which are then double distilled in small batches using traditional French alembic pot stills, to produce a liquor of exceptional smoothness and character.

Sparta is a modern take on a French classic using some of the best southern French grapes, copper pot stills for distillation, and French oak barrels for maturation, all under the direction of Master Distiller. The result is a very special blend with honey blended caramel notes of fresh fruit, vanilla, and a hint of the oak. The brandy can be enjoyed on the rocks or to add some flavour to a signature cocktail.

SPARTA- UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION

Sparta is the first authentic french-style brandy to be 100% made from grapes of Cognac region. Nothing else and nothing less then the timeless savoir faire of french double distillation making. since it uses grapes only from the best vineyards of France, Sparta is the first to reveal such an aromatic intensity. Unlike others, it relies on the time-honoured savoir faire of brandy making in small alembic copper pot stills. It is then aged in oak barrels and carefully blended by the cellar master. with its subtle gold colour, Sparta is the perfect harmony of mature and intense aromas. Discover its delicate notes of summer fruits and vanilla coming from the oak barrels. On the palate, its texture is as smooth as silk.

Enjoy it neat, on ice or with your favourite mixer.

Sparta is aged in small French oak barrels under the supervision of French Master Blender imparting a smooth and distinctive taste, exceptional aromas and a complex character of a cognac – style brandy with a long finish. Keeping up with the tradition of French Cognac making, the master blender has developed a unique recipe guaranteeing excellence in every drop.

Chairman & Managing Director Mr. Vasudevan S of KALS Group said, “With this launch KALS takes its aggressive step into the world of spirits with a superbly crafted high end offering. We are confident that Sparta will win accolades and significantly raise the bar for brandy making in India. Sparta is India‘s first handcrafted cognac derivative – style brandy for connoisseurs – from the House of KALS.”

Sparta comes in premium packaging and bottle design inspired from the Mid-19th century with a transparent gold labels that shines & scintillates to captivate the eyes of consumer- Sparta a style known as ‘standard fifth’ or ‘lettered brandy’ with embossing. Sparta will be available initially in three SKUs of 750 ml, 375 ml and 180 ml.

According to Uppiliappan G, CEO, KAL, Sparta is priced at `640 in the Tamil Nadu market. For KALs MGM Brandy is the closest in comparison. However, Sparta is rolled-out in all southern states and expected volumes will be 30,000 cases per month initially, says Uppiliappan.