SulaFest is making a comeback in February 2025 after a five-year hiatus, with an expected attendance of 9,000 people, shared the founder & CEO of Sula Vineyards, Rajeev Samant.

“SulaFest has been a cornerstone of Sula’s growth and marketing since its inception in 2008, serving as the biggest event for brand awareness. Drawing footfalls of 10,000 to 13,000 attendees, it gives a platform to wine enthusiasts to experience our wines, guided tastings by sommeliers, and vineyard tours. This direct interaction with the brand has strengthened loyalty and positively influenced sales, with attendees exploring and purchasing our wine portfolio both during and after the event. As we prepare for its 14th edition in 2025, SulaFest remains a vital driver of brand growth, blending music, wine, and culture to create unforgettable experiences,” he said.

The event will take place in Sula Vineyards’ Nashik campus, which saw over 400,000 visitors over the past year. SulaFest’s 2025 artist lineup includes Divine, Ritviz x Karan Kanchan, Oaff and Savera, and When Chai Met Toast.

In Q2FY25, the company’s net revenue stood at ₹142 crore, down by 1.2 percent y-o-y . Wine tourism revenue went up by 1.0 percent, to ₹12.2 crore.

“We can do big business with direct-to-consumer at our campuses. When we’re connected to our consumers directly, it’s more profitable because you don’t have the trade margins in the middle that are shared between the buyer and us. It’s not only about people visiting and tasting but also about them buying our wines,” the CEO explained.

Currently, exports account for 3 percent of the wine player’s total market, a key region being the EU, with smaller contributions from Japan, the US, Turkey, Canada, the UAE, and the Nordic countries.

Domestic market

The domestic market still represents 97 percent of the company’s sales.

Currently, 10 cities including Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune are driving wine consumption in the country, where 75 to 80 percent of all consumption takes place. However, Sula also intends to expand the availability of wine beyond the metros, with a plan to go more broad-based over the next four or five fiscals.

Samant continued, “The last year has seen a strong emergence of Telangana, with Hyderabad having come up strong. Over the past two years, Telangana has been approaching Karnataka’s sales volumes. It’s no longer a rule of two, with our big three being Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana. UP is another State that has come up strongly over the last five years and Haryana, over the last 10 years. Other States are coming up as well.”

Over the last few years, the growth in Karnataka has outpaced the growth in Maharashtra. Hence, the company is also shipping to a few southern States from Karnataka, while earlier, all States were being serviced from its Maharashtra winery.

While historically, 90 percent of production originated from Maharashtra and 10 percent from Karnataka, this split has shifted to 87 percent from Maharashtra and the remaining from Karnataka.

In terms of premium wines, Sula’s market share has grown to above 65 percent. 75 percent of Sula’s portfolio sales value comes from wines priced over ₹750 per 750ml bottle, an increase from the 60-62 percent range a few years ago. The elite plus premium segment accounts for 56 percent of its total sales on a volume basis.

The company’s shares closed at ₹421 today, down by 0.59 percent.

Related Topics