Sula: 750ml Red Zinfandel wine

This sunny Zinfandel comes from Nashik, located to the north of Mumbai in the Western Ghats Mountains of India. The warmth of the tropical climate is obvious, adding smoky notes and flavours of roasted herbs, cherry jam and cooked plums and blackberries. Zinfandel's youthful red berry and spice character shines through, bringing vanilla, woody cinnamon and pepper. If you like things smoky, then crack on in. If you prefer something a little more mellow, then let this vegan-friendly red aerate for a while. It's completely unique and lots of fun to pair with food. Consider maybe tomato-based curries, dishes from the charcoal grill or spiced with panch phoron, teriyaki, barbeques, dan dan noodles or the complex flavours of Mexican mole. Sula Vineyards - described by Jancis Robinson as India's "leading wine producer" - was established by Rajeev Samant, who began planting vines in 1996. It became the first winery in the ancient city of Nashik, and that area of Maharashtra has since emerged as the country's largest grape-growing region. Inspired by his time spent in Napa Valley, Rajeev Samant not only pioneered the cultivation of French grapes, like Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, but has also experimented with Zinfandel, for which he took a pruning from California and stuffed it into a duffel bag, then five days and four fridges later, planted it in Nashik. This is not an obvious place to launch a winery. The tropical climate, monsoon rains, high investment required, complex taxes and inability to advertise alcohol locally, all create significant challenges. However, Sula Vineyards have made such a success of it, they no doubt inspired the multinational luxury goods brand LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) to create Chandon India about an hour's drive away.  The wine industry has a diversity issue. So, it's great to see wineries like Sula vineyards opening up new frontiers and breaking down old barriers. The company follows sustainable practices and in 2021 became par.