Mumbai-based rapper DIVINE, singer Kabeer Kathpalia aka OAFF, Ritviz, When Chai Met Toast—this was not the line-up of a music concert in Delhi or Mumbai, but of Nasik’s SulaFest. The 14th edition of the wine and music festival at Sula Vineyards made a splash this February, coming back after a five-year break.
Several thousand people—primarily from Nasik, Gujarat, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore—bought tickets worth Rs 3,000 each to enjoy a weekend of great food, wine and music, reaffirming Rajeev Samant’s faith in India’s wine tourism. Samant, the CEO and founder of Sula Vineyards who is celebrating 25 years of pioneering India’s wine industry, always believed that tourism was going to be an extension of vinification.
“I went to a university in California, and I saw what they had created in Napa Valley, which is by far the global pioneer in wine tourism. Every weekend, there is traffic leading to Napa. It’s a billion-dollar wine tourism economy,” says Samant.
Not just Napa, but wine tourism, from Tuscany to Bordeaux in Europe and from Yarra Valley in Australia to Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand, is seeing significant expansion with forecasts predicting growth from nearly $96 billion in 2024 to around $333 billion in 2034, a CAGR of 13.2%, per a report by market research Future Market Insights.
Wine tourism in India, though nascent, is growing. At Sula, nearly 20% of the Rs 600 crore revenue comes from wine tourism. Sula’s latest Q3 reports show a year-on-year increase of 11.6% in wine tourism.
Nowadays, Sula witnesses a significant number of over 0.35 million footfalls annually. An entry ticket of Rs 600 (Rs 1,000 on weekends) is a cover charge that can be redeemed for tours and tastings at the vineyard. Enjoy a tour of the wine making facilities with an expert guide, learn the intricacies of wine making, and attend a tasting masterclass, where you get to taste five-six varieties of wines.
For those who would like to enjoy a weekend at Sula, it offers two resorts—The Source and Beyond—with rooms priced in the Rs 10,000-12,000 range.
While Sula is the pioneer, it is not the only one. Other wineries such as Chandon offer wine tours as well. Also based in Nashik, just a few kilometres from Sula, the two wineries together have added to the economy of the small Maharashtrian town that is now referred to as the wine capital of India.
Today there are numerous home stays and small hotels across the city.
At Chandon, you can opt for the Petite Tour & Tasting (Rs 750 per person) for a tour of the wine gallery and a tasting session (excluding food pairings); or the Grande Tour & Tasting (Rs 1,000 per person), which includes a more in-depth wine gallery tour along with wine tasting paired with a sumptuous cheese platter. While wineries in Nashik welcome visitors all around the year, the ideal time to visit is from January to March during the grape harvest season, when you can also partake in grape picking. Additionally, the winter months from October to March are perfect for vineyard explorations and those Instagrammable shots.
“For those looking for a deeper dive, Chandon also offers exclusive masterclasses led by myself, where visitors can learn the nuances of winemaking and food pairings,” says Kaushal Khairnar, Winemaker, Chandon India. Khairnar adds that besides the tours which are popular across different age groups, guests also come to enjoy the sunset with a glass of Chandon sparkling wine.
Near Nashik, on the banks of the Nira River, lies the town of Akluj, home to the Fratelli Vineyards spread over 240 acres. Guests can enjoy a day trip for Rs 1,500 which includes a visit to the winery along with a tasting. Or you could stay for the weekend in their guest house for anywhere between Rs 7,000-14,000 for two days for a couple. You could also hire the entire guest house for eight people for three days for Rs 44,999 (Rs 85,999 for a long weekend). Enjoy riding a bicycle through the vineyards, through fields of Chenin and Gewürztraminer (both are varieties of grapes) as the sun sets, engulfing you in a heady ambience.
Most vineyards do not allow walk-ins, so it is best to book an online tour. Go for a wine tour in India to realise how much we have accepted wine as part of our palate, some even pairing it with bhaji (onion fritters).
@smitabw
