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Photos By:: Adil Arora
 Sula has created an exclusive label for the airline-Sula Reserve Shiraz 2012, Cecilia Oldne, the global brand ambassador of Sula told me at the Sula Sunshine Soiree organized at the Shiro Restaurant in Hotel Samrat where Deepak Bhatnagar, President of Sales and Marketing of Sula was also present to meet and interact with the trade and friends who were treated to a range of wines from their domestic and international portfolio-with an opportunity to match them with several dishes being prepared at various live counters.
Guests were given a warm welcome with chilled glasses of Sula Rose Brut before being invited to a special designated area where wines including Sula Riesling, Late Harvest Chenin Blanc, Hardys Riesling- Gewürztraminer, Cono Sur Pinot Noir and Trapiche Malbec were available to match with Sushi, Satay and a few other dishes.
"Having worked towards this for years, I am very happy that an airline is now serving an Indian wine and that too Sula onboard.", said Cecilia bubbling with excitement even though the agreement had still not been signed and the contract was to be cleared the next day. She had recently returned from London where Marks and Spencer launched a range of wines produced exclusively for them by Sula under their label ‘Jewels of Nasik’ and was on a whirlwind tour with Deepak, meeting customers, journalists and sommeliers.
‘We hope this is just a beginning and more listings will follow,’ said Bhatnagar. When I asked him why not their top-ended Rasa Shiraz Reserve, he said, ‘we make limited quantities of Rasa and always run out of stocks so it may not be feasible at the moment.’ The Reserve Shiraz for Air India is apparently the equivalent of the popular Sula Dindori Shiraz though the label will not indicate it and will display only that the wine has been bottled exclusively for Air India.
‘Der Aaye Durust Aaye’! Its better late than never! It is not surprising but not very palatable to see that the national carrier took so long to introduce and include an Indian wine in their wine portfolio. But it is heartening to know that they have been finally able to cross the bureaucratic muddle and finally taken a positive stand on serving domestic wines - a practice so prevalent with all other airlines of the world. In fact, airlines like South African Airways serve only domestic wines in the skies (Moet Chandon excepted).
It could also be a matter of record that this is perhaps the first contract where the new government has been involved, albeit indirectly in the purchase of wine- a positive sign that the new  government led by PM Narendra Modi plans to be pragmatic and stay connected with the world in it's policies, including those relating to wine.
The wine from Sula was selected from top international competing brands by a panel of wine experts, according to Mr. P.S. Negi, General Manager Procurement Air India. “Sula on board is in sync with the national carrier’s initiative to patronize and promote the best Indian brands on its flights for service to esteemed passengers.” says Ms. Harpreet Singh, ED - Customer Services Air India in a Press Release.
The purchase of just one label may not directly boost the sales of Sula significantly; the company sold between 640,000-650,000 cases of Indian wines from Sula Vineyards in 2013-14, according to Bhatnagar. But serving to a global mix of passengers will help boost the image of not only the Sula brand but Indian wines in general. It would be most appropriate for Air India to select Sula Rasa Shiraz Reserve for its Maharaja Class passengers. It might be a great opportunity for non-Indians travelling with Air India to get their first taste of Indian wines.
Subhash Arora
Tags: Sula Vineyards, Air India, Sula Reserve Shiraz 2012, Sula Sunshine Soiree,Sula, Cecilia Oldne, Marks and Spencer, Jewels of Nasik |