From a dream, to cultivating reality….

Mr. Pradeep Pachpatil, CMD, Somanda Vineyards has come a long way. The journey has been one rollercoaster ride and today Soma Vine Village stands tall amidst the lush green vineyards that have been nurtured with utmost love and care. PSP’s life story is a tale of sheer grit, hard work and determination. Coming from an agricultural background, PSP worked his way up to get himself a Master’s degree in Chemistry, post which he joined GNFC, Bharuch. It was on a chance visit to Pimpalgaon, where his relatives lived, little did he know, his destiny was going to change. A winery named Pimpane was going to be inaugurated in Pimpalgaon and this was where PSP met the Chairman, Mr. Madhav Rao More. Mr. More was looking for an Asst. Winemaker. At Mr. More’s behest, PSP decided to stay back and learn wine making. He had trained under a French winemaker, Mr. Jean Manuel Jacquinot, who owned a Champagne House, which was their family business in Epernay.

PSP, first stepped into the Wine Industry. After a 3 year stint with the French Winemaker JMJ, PSP then took a step ahead and moved to IndageIndia ,Narayangaon. This proved to be another valuable learning experience. After an 8 yearlong stint, PSP then moved back to his beloved hometown, Nashik. He worked with Sula Vineyards as the senior Vice-president Operations for over a decade, which was then in its infantile stage and was more of a small, boutique winery and then became a massive success. It was during this time he trained himself in the art of wine-making in the company of Chilean, French, South African and American winemakers, making him one of the foremost winemakers in India. He worked closely with Mr Kerry Damsky, a wine maker from California for about 13 harvests. He has played a pivotal role in building a strong foundation of the Indian Wine Industry.