Know Wines Better with Sula Vineyards Sommelier – Sovna Puri

As rightly said by Plato –

‘When a man drinks wine at dinner, he begins to be better pleased with himself.’

An array of Wine served with the sumptuous meals on the table certainly would make a dinning delight! Its sparkling appearance is beautiful which looks like the sunlight trapped in water. It would help you unleash your enervated body, and satiate not just your hunger but also your minds to the fullest. So do you have a strong sense of attraction towards this powerful beverage? We help you know this beverage better in an exclusive interview with Sommelier Sovna Puri of Sula Wines talking about her passion, experience, domain knowledge and perspective towards the profession.

 

1)      Tell us something about your journey as a Sommelier.

‘I started off as a restaurant supervisor in Marlow, United Kingdom. My first steps into the wine industry began with an internship in France in a Michelin starred, Relais & Chateaux property. It was there that I met a Sommelier for the first time, and was initiated into the importance of one at a restaurant. My first experience with a wine cellar was also here, and I attribute that meeting to me seriously wanting to get into wine. I then moved to London & worked with Benares, an Indian Michelin starred restaurant as the Asst. Head Sommelier for over 2 years while pursuing the advanced course in wine education from the WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust), London. After joining Sula, realised the scope & need of wine education in India & went back to complete my ‘Teachers Training’ from WSET, London.’

 

2)      How long have you been associated with Sula Vineyards?

‘Since last 5 and a half years’

 

3)      Have Wines and Spirits been your interest always?

‘Yes and I feel happy to have followed my Passion!’

 

4)      As a Sommelier Trainer, how do you train the other aspiring sommeliers?

 ‘ By letting them know that wine as a subject is not as intimidating as one thinks it to be. Also, by making them aware & more sensitive towards the world of wine!’

 

5)      What measures does ‘Sula Vineyards’ take for maintaining the standards of its wine?

‘We have a very competitive team of wine makers who ensure that the quality of all our wines is not just consistent but also work on improvising them for every new vintage. Since we also export wines to over 20 countries, we follow all the EU rules & regulations for grape growing & wine making.’

 

6)      Give us some insight about wine and food pairing, especially keeping in mind the Indian cuisines.

‘The main idea behind food & wine pairing is that neither the wine nor the food should over power the other. One should be able to taste both simultaneously & get the 3^rd pleasant flavour. If this happens, your pairing is successful. Food & wine pairing is a subject in itself, it’s not about red meat with red wine & white meat with white wine- in fact this may not work at all especially when it comes to Indian cuisine. There are certain guidelines that could be followed to avoid disasters-

For example:

 An acidic wine like a sparkling Sula Brut/Sula Sauvignon Blanc with fried/creamy/fatty dishes. Either fruity or slightly sweet wines with spicy dishes, etc.  Having said this, food & wine pairing is also very personal, the most important rule is that there are no rules because what you like is what you like!

 

7)      What do you think the wine market is in India, what are their tastes like?

‘I think wine in India started off as the “cool” or “in thing” but with time people have now started genuinely appreciating wine. However, wine is still at a very nascent stage in India. Wine being an intriguing subject-anyone & everyone wants to know, learning further more about it. One can already see the need for a sommelier in hotels, this of course started with mainly 5 stars but now even many stand-alone restaurants prefer to have one.  Almost every Indian wine company again wants to employ people who know & understand wine. They have realized that it is very difficult to market it without understanding what the market wants & what the wine you are selling is all about. Lastly, wine awareness among the consumers is of extreme importance to ensure India is prominently visible on the international wine map.’

 

8)      Urbanrestro & Sula wine have collaborated for the event Wine Tails, how do you plan to go about it?

‘This is yet another effort on Sula’s end to enhance the wine awareness among consumers & along with Urbanrestro’s support I hope to make this event fun, educative & also something we can organize jointly on a regular basis.’

 

9)      Apart from the wine tails event, what all events and activities have ‘Sula Vineyards’ initiated or collaborated with?

‘Over 1,500 tastings are conducted by Sula across India on an annual basis. We conduct wine appreciation sessions regularly across India in association with a lot of corporates. We also teach official wine courses in collaboration with WSET, a British organization with centres all across the world.’

 

10)   What would be your desert island wine and why?

‘Tricky question but I think I would go with the Sula Riesling (India’s first & only Riesling) – light, easy drinking & off dry – perfect to sip on a warm sunny day!’

 

Thus, this was a candid conversation with Sommelier Sovna Puri from Sula wines. Her passion for wines and her perspectives would certainly encourage the aspiring sommeliers! To know better about wines, you can visit the event Wine-Tails with Sovna Puri being the Sommelier for the same. For Details visit here.

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