Taste the SULA Life - Sula Vineyards

July 06, 2020

If one glass of wine is good for you, just imagine what a whole bottle could do! ;)

Red Wine @ Sula

Nasik - a city in Maharashtra that's popular for its grape produce and state-of-the-art wineries! Set in lush green surroundings, it is home to India's finest winery - Sula Vineyards. Visiting this winery is a delightful experience for people of all age groups as they unwind, relax and catch a glimpse of the wine making process. It is a perfect weekend getaway especially during the grape harvest season.

Vineyards-Nasik

Getting there:

Road: An approx. 4 hours drive from Mumbai (approx. 180 km) will take you to this destination situated in the picturesque lap of nature. We visited Sula Vineyards on our way to Infant Jesus Shrine in Nasik. It was indeed a delightful experience.
Air: Nearest airport is Nasik airport with less frequency of flights and would take about 50 minutes (33 kms). The second nearest is Mumbai airport which takes about 4-5 hours (180 kms).
Train: Nasik has its own railway station and several trains ply daily connecting to all major cities of India.

On Site Touring:

Spread across 300 acres of land, Sula's vineyards are home to some of India's finest grapes. Apart from wine, it is also known for the famous SulaFest, grape stomping, tasting cellar tours along with factory tours to name a few. Following is a gist of activities that one can indulge while at Sula.

SulaFest: The annual SulaFest is held somewhere in the month of February every year with live music. It is one of the biggest vineyard music festival in India with various attractions like camping under the stars etc. Tickets are sold well in advance through their official website https://www.sulafest.com/ It's a tale of an extravagant affair. To avoid the maddening rush, we visited during the off season.

Pic Credit: SulaFest-fb page

Grape Stomping: The much hyped Grape Stomping also takes place during the grape harvest and crush season that is usually from January to March. It is a fun activity!

Grape Stomping

Factory Tour: After buying the ticket at the counter, you are guided inside the factory in a group by a trained guide. The factory tour takes you inside their manufacturing set up thereby giving you a closer view of their entire manufacturing process. Sula has state-of-the-art wineries and their premium wines are matured and aged in some of the best French and American Oak barrels. Viewing their life-size, world-class stainless steel containers and barrels that allow significant energy conservation is completely spectacular!

Barrels maturing & aging some premium wines

Tasting Cellar Tour: On paying a few extra bucks at the counter, the factory tour will lead you to the tasting cellar (room). It is a guided tour of about six different types of wine tasting explained on the basis of 5S i.e. See-Swril-Smell-Sip-Swallow or Spit. It's a unique way to experience the history and heritage of every wine that you taste.
Shopping: The tasting tour will exit right outside their gift and bottle shop on the ground floor. The products range from wines to grapeseed oil to customized t-shirts and other souvenirs. A must buy - few bottles of wine :)

Restaurants: Little Italy and Soma are two restaurants at the top that gives you a holistic view of the entire grape plantation spread across acres of land. It serves some lip smacking food along with some Sula wine in beverages over the counter.

Picturesque view from the Restaurant at the Top

Accommodation: Sula has India's first winery resort-'The Source' by Sula and 'Beyond' by Sula. It offers accommodation at the vineyards with variety of options like treehouse, rooms and suites. Apart from this, there are various hotels in the vicinity at reasonable rates.

Some good captures from the weekend drive below: