2023 Dindori Reserve Shiraz, Sula Vineyards

The Nashik Ember Shiraz

This is Indian Shiraz with warmth, colour and a bold, spicy glow. From the Nashik Hills, it opens with dark cherry, ripe red fruit and blackberry, before smoky spice, vanilla, pepper and a little sweet oak begin to gather. Sula lists the wine as Shiraz with up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for 10 to 12 months in American oak barrels.

The palate is full-bodied, smooth and richly fruited, with dark berries, cherry, spice and silky tannins carrying through to a long, warming finish. It feels generous and modern, but with enough freshness to keep the fruit lifted. A brilliant reminder that India’s wine scene is no longer a curiosity, but a proper source of characterful bottles.

For when you want a red with sunshine, spice and a sense of discovery.
Pairs with lamb curry, chicken green curry, chargrilled meats, barbecue, pizza, spicy sausages, mushroom ragù, or a smoky aubergine dish.
If this wine were… a fire, it would be glowing low under a Nashik sky, throwing cherry, vanilla and pepper into the warm evening air.

Sula Vineyards is one of the defining names of Indian wine, based in Nashik, Maharashtra. Rajeev Samant’s idea for growing wine grapes in Nashik began after visiting his family’s land there in 1994, and the estate has become closely associated with the rise of modern Indian wine. The Dindori Reserve range shows Sula’s more crafted side, with the Shiraz designed as a bold, oak-aged red from India’s premier vineyard region.