( CNN ) India may not be the first place to spring to mind when it comes to fine wine , but the country 's tradition of viticulture stretches back for centuries . India has produced wine throughout its history , but its popularity waned after phylloxera , a pest which also heavily affected European wine production in the 19th century , ravaged many of the subcontinent 's vineyards . However , one man is on a quest to get Indians drinking the grape nectar once again . Rajeev Samant 's journey to becoming a winemaker has been unusual -- he studied engineering at Stanford University and got a high-flying job at Oracle after graduating . However , he left it all behind to return to his father 's birthplace , Nashik , a city in western India , and started experimenting with different vines . `` I just noticed that Nashik was full of grapes , and no one was making wine in this beautiful place , '' he says . Initially , Samant had a modest goal -- to merely produce wine that was pleasant and drinkable . However , with the help of a noted Californian winemaker Kerry Damskey , he soon realized that the terroir had the potential for much more . `` Things went to a different level . We started from selling just 40,000 bottles of wine to something like 10 million bottles of wine ... and it 's a beautiful business that has brought not just profit to us but to the greater community at large , '' he says . International acclaim . Samant 's Sula Vineyards were the first in India to be featured in Wine Spectator , a respected industry magazine , in 2002 . Today , Sula is India 's top wine producer , holding about 65 % of the country 's wine market . The entrepreneur 's gamble proved successful , but what had made him abandon a prestigious Silicon Valley job and throw himself into a new venture ? `` I really wanted to do something that I was really passionate about when I wake up every day , and that was something that I was n't feeling in my corporate job . I strapped on a backpack and just started moving across the world , landing up here in Nashik . `` There is a world of difference between the way I feel now about what I 'm doing , full of passion , compared to what I used to do . Every day I 'm so excited to take on the challenges . It 's my baby , it 's as simple as that , '' he says .
Rajeev Samant founded one of India 's most successful wineries -- Sula Vineyards . The winery is located in the foothills of the Himalayas and produces some of India's finest wines. His Sula Vineyards were first to be featured in Wine Spectator , a respected industry magazine .