Gen-Next

In vino veritas

'In wine there is truth' - the phrase encompasses the journey of one man, Rajeev Samant, founder and MD of Sula Wines, whose passion created a brand that revolutionised India's wine industry and through the process, discovered himself, finds Neeti Mehra

The proclivity of humans to strive towards creation is a vineyard less traversed by most. Dispelling the mundane, Rajeev Samant created and marketed a brand which changed the course of a multitude of things. The quintessential maverick made a sparkling success of a string of clichés- Stanford alumnus, sometime Oracle finance manager and a backpacking sabbatical. And finally, he took a journey of Bacchanalian delights culminating right in his backyard - Nasik. "Although my job at Oracle was exciting, I disliked the fact that I got only two weeks off a year and there wasn't much independence. I also wanted to do something back home to benefit my country, rather than staying in the US," he articulates.

After he left Oracle, he did what the confused and somewhat privileged lot of this generation usually deigns to do. Strapping on a backpack, Samant embarked on a journey of self-discovery to Central America and South-east Asia, which in hindsight, was a revelation, he says. Then began the long journey home.

The discovery of a vintner

Surveying his 30-acre stretch of land in Nasik, Samant, staring in the face of failed farming attempts, had a moment of epiphany. This was the mid-90s when the winds of economic change were blowing across the country. At this very instance, he decided to have a go at growing wine grapes there given that the Terroir and the climate was ideally suited to it. He sensed the opportunity in Nasik, carrying out rudimentary but necessary research, fused with hard work.

Teaming up with Kerry Damsky from California's Sonoma Valley, Samant worked in the sunny Californian climes, learning the hard way, and the right way. "It was far from a cakewalk at the get-go. But I think I had the good fortune of having the right idea at the right time, along with an incredible network of family and friends," he says with gratitude for their support, indispensable in this venture.

But filial ties do not a success of business make. "One big hurdle I faced was persuading the government to issue me a license for producing wine. At that point no new winery license had been issued for almost 10 years in the state of Maharashtra, and it took me almost two years to procure this license," he recounts the days of knocking on doors. Breaking through the remnants of the License Raj was probably the easier challenge. With, license in hand, the vintner was now confronted by a perception barrier of unappreciative Indian palates. "I was producing good quality wine that could be accepted by Indian consumers at a slightly higher price, as compared to imported French wines that were available at a lower price," he adds.

In the first six months Sula achieved an incomparable feat - sale of one truckload of wine. "However, with time, the quality and the efforts started paying off and today, five years down the line, we are proud to say that Indians drink our wine with great pride with price no longer being an issue. We sold 70,000 cases in 2004 and are now at the million-bottle mark," he reveals. This year, an additional 500 acres will be planted, bringing the total acreage under ownership and contract farmers to 1,200 acres.

With New World wines creating bubbles across the globe, Samant's Sula as a pithy incumbent of the movement is riding the wave. Time has also tempered the worldview. He says," We're being welcomed as the ambassadors of Indian wine across the globe, including France, Italy, the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, and Singapore." Point noted. Sula is being served in Alain Ducasse's award winning three Michelin-Star-Restaurant - Louis XV in Société Des Bains De Mer's Monte Carlo resort in France.

Sula's strategy of embracing Stelvin screw caps to replace cork closures, relegating the days of cork taint and other assorted crumblings to the confines of musty cellars makes perfect sense. "Currently, 99 per cent of Indian households don't even own corkscrews!" he says. He sees Sula's Whites, Roses and Reds going with aluminum screw caps, which will keep the aromatic bouquet intact.

State support is also propping up this fledgling industry. "Laws regulating the making, selling, and importing of wines were also incredibly restrictive at first, but states are recognising the many benefits of more wine-friendly legislation," he adds.

Rational exuberance

Insatiable hunger drives him - a trickle-down of being his own boss and not having a set of behaviours and expectations thrust upon him. "Ultimately, if you have the hunger to do something that's your own, nothing else but that will satiate you. I look back and still wonder how I ever lived that life. Today, my time is much more my own. I travel to new and exciting places at short notice without having to worry about my vacation day balance. Ultimately, I'm accountable to myself," he deliberates.

Modesty flying out of the window, Samant points out that Sula is clearly the second largest wine producer in India, and the largest producer in the premium wine segment, beyond the price barrier of Rs 300. Noting its rapid growth in 2005, GEM India Advisors (GIA) picked up a minority stake in the company for an amount of Rs 15 crore. Today, Sula is setting up a world class nursery for planting material at Nasik, in a French joint venture, and the recent Pimpane acquisition will be ready in time for the 2007 crush.

The rising retail star is more than a blip on his radar and he expects wines to hit supermarkets by the year end. In response, Samant has sashayed into a non-exclusive tie-up with food retailer Food Bazaar as its preferred wine partner. His exuberance is inspiring. "My career now demands that I think on my feet, envision creative solutions, listen patiently and respect the opinion of others. It has also inspired great self-confidence as well as humility. During difficult times I remind myself of why I chose to do this and what I love about it, an attitude that I apply to other facets of my life as well," he says.

In the two worlds he purposefully populates - the urban metropolis and the agricultural countryside - the latter in Nasik is the perfect getaway to balance his pace. He expresses how upbeat he is about the tremendous potential of this country, pointing out industry growth figures peaking at a dizzying 25 per cent for the next three years, and says, "India is where I've worked so hard and made something concrete. It has actually been the place that has given me all that I call mine today, and it's an exciting period to be here. The industry is growing at a steady pace, our consumers are very happy with us; we're being accepted internationally. The action is here!"