This Saturday I was privileged to be at a Wine tasting session organized by Kādu (pronounced as Kaa-du) at the Taj Gateway Hotel, Residency Road. The session was presided by Kerry Damskey & other prominent wine makers of Sula like Gorakh Gaikwad , Karan Vasani .

Kerry is the Director of winemaking at Sula Vineyards. It was wonderful to hear from him right from his first trip to Nasik, his initial assumptions, experiments, comparison with California, where he hails from etc. He shared personal experiences which included growing up in a household of three siblings, how his parents took them around the winegrowing regions around the Bay Area and that’s how his passion around the craft grew. He shared his early India trip experiences, getting the first seeds, to Nasik, which really kept us engaged. It was amazing to hear firsthand from him. His meeting with Rajiv Samant – which later paved the way for setting up Sula Vineyards and Sula Fest in Nasik.

Kādu was launched in Bengaluru on 6^th November 2017, by Bittu Sahgal, legendary conservationist-founder of Sanctuary and Sula’s founder CEO Rajeev Samant. Kadu is a venture of Sula, it’s the first premium wine offering from Karnataka Vineyards of Sula Vineyards, India’s leading Wine Producer. The word Kadu means ‘wild’ in Kannada. It’s India’s first “Wine for a Cause”. INR 5 from each bottle we buy – goes towards the Tiger Conservation within Karnataka. To ensure optimum end-use of the funds raised, Sula has tie-ups with Mud On Boots. It is Sula’s efforts to bring the best of Karnataka’s terroir to our glasses.

Currently 4 Kadu wines are available. We started with the Kādu Sauvignon Blanc, followed by Kādu Chenin Blanc, then Kādu Shiraz Rose & lastly Kādu Cabernet Shiraz.

• Kādu Sauvignon Blanc – has delicate aromas and flavours of passion fruit, cut grass and green peppers.
• Kādu Chenin Blanc – is delicious, slightly sweet, floral and fruity
• Kādu Shiraz Rose – is light, fruity and full of luscious berry flavours.
• Kādu Cabernet Shiraz – is lush, medium bodied and peppery with subtle oak.

It was a wonderful evening to hear Kerry toast each glass, explain, cherish his sip & add anecdotes. Even Indian Winemakers like Gorakh Gaikwad , Karan Vasani added their side of the story. It is always a memory to cherish, to hear from the Wine Makers themselves , sip the same wine & enjoy as the flavours burst open.

They also shared their future plans about setting up similar Wine Experiences and Kadu Festival in their Vineyards near chennapatna.