Rajeev Samant will go down in the annals of wine lore as the man who founded India’s main wine region in 1999. Born and schooled in Mumbai, Rajeev headed to California's Stanford University for an undergraduate degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Engineering Management. He then worked for Oracle Corp. in Silicon Valley before heading back to India in 1993, determined to bring the Californian spirit of innovation to his homeland.

In 1999, he established Sula Vineyards, Nashik’s first winery. This historic move transformed Nashik into India’s Wine Capital, and today, Sula Vineyards is globally recognized as India’s most important wine producer.

Rajeev had innumerable firsts in India - revolutionizing wine tourism with the first winery tasting room in 2005, first vineyard resort - Beyond in 2007, and the country’s first vineyard music festival - Sulafest, well known to music lovers across the country. His entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in creating a thriving local wine industry in India and has brought global recognition, and a fan following, for Indian wine and the Sula brand.