A joint venture between Kingsland Drinks and Indian wine producer Soul Tree will result in the very first shipment of bulk wine from India to the UK this month.

Building on an 8-year success for the brand in the on-trade, Soul Tree and Kingsland Drinks, one of the UK’s premier complete category solution independent drinks companies, are set to launch a duo of wines which will be available to the on-trade from early-December, developed to meet the house wine price point on Indian restaurant wine lists.

Comprising of Soul Tree Red and Soul Tree White, the pair of wines are designed to drink alongside Indian food and join the brand’s existing varietal-led Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé and Cabernet Sauvignon. The new wines will be bottled, packed and distributed from Kingsland Drinks full-service site in Irlam, Greater Manchester.

The entire Soul Tree wine range will carry a brand-new look, designed by Kingsland’s in-house design team in conjunction with Soul Tree, which builds on the brand’s existing identity.

Ed Baker, Managing Director at Kingsland Drinks, said:  “Our primary objective is to deliver a portfolio across the trade that equips our customers with the right mix of products to suit all consumers. We work with partners to provide solutions reacting to demand and trends; jointly with Soul Tree, we believe there is a clear market opportunity for Indian wine, especially in the Indian restaurant sector.”

Adam Marshall, Buying Controller at Kingsland Drinks, commented “The Soul Tree range represents the very first Indian wine in our portfolio and a fresh segment for the category; India is now officially on the map as a bulk wine producer, and we’re excited to lead the way by bringing Soul Tree wines in bulk directly to the UK on-trade.”

Alok Mathur, Co-founder & Director of Soul Tree wines, said: “Soul Tree is a rapidly growing brand with distribution throughout the UK, and a growing international footprint. We are really proud to put Indian wines on the bulk wine map, and the joint venture with Kingsland Drinks presents the opportunity to be part of one of the widest portfolios available to the UK market.  The collaboration builds on our existing varietal range and offers the opportunity to grow our footprint even more so in the UK.”

The move to bring Indian wine in bulk to the UK builds on Kingsland Drinks’ pioneering legacy – in the 1960’s it was the first company in the UK to import and fill wine in bulk. Today it has an experienced buying team comprising eight specialists who source and manage a broad selection of wines from over 100 suppliers covering 15 countries, alongside extensive in-house services spanning innovation, insights and marketing.

Its portfolio has significant presence across both the on-trade and in major high street retailers including Co-op, Majestic, Waitrose, Morrisons, Tesco and M&S.

The new Soul Tree wines are targeted at the house wine tier on restaurant wine lists and will be available through various wholesalers.

To find out more about Kingsland Drinks portfolio and complete category solutions contact info@kingsland-drinks.com or for more information about the Soul Tree brand contact alok.mathur@ignisis.co.uk