It gives me an ecstatic feeling when I hear the name SULA. And the things that crosses my mind immediately is of course wine, logo of a sun having a twirling mustache with a tilak on its forehead and breath taking views.
Sula Vineyards is located in Nasik about 180 kilometers from Mumbai city. It was founded by a visionary man Mr. Rajeev Samant in 1998. He studied at Stanford University and worked at Oracle. After quitting his job he returned to India and established Sula. He kept on introducing grape varieties and company’s offerings now Nasik is known as ‘Wine Capital of India’ with more that 50 wineries.
It is quite versatile location, ideal for wine lovers and very apt as a weekend getaway or also one day trip.
There are guided tours for enthusiasts tourist who can explore the winery, the Barrel room and the tasting room. We had reached there in the evening so we directly went to the tasting room. For Rs 350/= you can taste 6 wines from their collection and also learn etiquette of wine tasting. The skills they teach before tasting wine See..Swirl…Sniff….Sip.
Well the most important of all is that you don’t swirl your sparkling wine as it fizzes out the bubbles.
We later headed to the roof top restaurant which was totally over crowded, but luckily we got a table for us in 15 minutes. We all were very hungry so we ordered lots of food. It is not a dinner place so do not expect any lavish spread. The food and service was good not great though. We had ordered a glass of Rose wine and sparkling wine. I personally do not like to sip on Red wine unless someone is offering me Sangria of it!! MY favorite is dessert wine. For food we had ordered garlic bread, crostinis with different cheese toppings, loaded veggie burger with french fries and paneer tikkas. The overall feel of the place was nice, cozy and pleasant. Totally enjoyed watching sunset while sipping on wine and enjoying the cool breeze. Worth visiting if you haven’t been here. Avoid going on the weekends to avoid rush and sloppy service.
Sadly, there was no grape stomping during our visit. Well February is a good time to visit, since Sula organizes their annual “Sula Fest”. Grape stomping is one of the main highlights during that time and there is a great atmosphere for art, music, dance, food, culture and, of course WINE. Sula Vineyards also has an amphitheater which transforms into a lively stage during Sula Fest.
Do not forget to shop your favorite wine from their souvenir shop.
