Wine production and its attendant tourism is unexpectedly growing in India. HI LIVING does the swirl, sniff and sip ritual at some of the best vineyards in the country.
Surrounded by nine hills and populated by a multitude of small lakes is a district that lies right at the heart of the wine revolution. A grape-producing region since the time of the Marathas, Nashik, the grape capital of India, has in the last decade acquired another moniker. The consistent flow of good quality wines coupled with the concentration of wine grape vineyards and wineries makes it compare favourably with another region across continents that share many of its characteristics. While qualitatively Nashik’s output cannot be compared with the superlative wines pouring out of California’s Napa Valley, its reputation and the tremendous energy flowing out definitely entitles it to be called the Napa Valley of India.
Much of the credit is due to Sula, which pioneered Nashik as the premier wine-producing destination in the country. Even today, Sula with its basket of wines and beautifully landscaped property is setting the standards for other winemakers to follow. Above its winery on a sprawling verandah is its wine bar overlooking the first sauvignon blanc vineyards in the country. While its proximity to neighbouring Nashik city makes it a popular evening destination for the residents, on weekends it attracts a large number of Mumbai’s denizens who like to drive down for a vinous getaway. A few kilometres away, at the base of a hill, surrounded by vineyards with the Gangapur Dam in the distance is Beyond, the deluxe three-bedroom cottage-resort with its private swimming pool that’s perfect for six.
Down the road from Sula, almost on the shores of the dam, is a small winery that holds big promise. Though its wines are currently not easily available in the metros, York produces two whites: a sauvignon and a chenin blanc, a zinfandel rosé and four reds: a regular cabernet sauvignon and shiraz and barrel-aged estate reserves of the same.
The vineyards lie on a gentle slope at the side of the winery which incorporates the gradient into its design.
Most of the wine thus flows from the rushing vats to the fermentation tanks by the gentler force of gravity instead of the harsher pressure of pumps. To ensure better quality, York has separate tank halls for whites and reds, and has invested in an underground cellar for the barrels.
About 40kms north of Nashik lies what many expect to develop into India’s first French-style appellation – a demarcated geographical region used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. A region which, like
Champagne, will allow only wines produced in that region to carry its name on the label thus also, hopefully, guaranteeing a certain level of quality. Land suitable for growing wine grapes, Dindori, about an hour’s drive from
Nashik city, is the most expensive viticultural real estate in the country.
Sula’s marquee Dindori Shiraz is made from grapes grown in its extensive vineyards in Dindori. Wine, according to traditionalist winemakers, is produced in the vineyards and good wines can only come from good quality grapes, and to get the best grapes you need the right combination of soil structure and great weather. Unlike Nashik where the vineyards are on flat land, with soil containing a significant amount of water-retaining clay content, the vineyards in Dindori are generally on steep or gently sloping land and the nutrient-rich red soil is primarily composed of gravel. Water can be a vine’s greatest enemy, as high water content in the grape leads to diluted flavours in the wines that end up tasting weak and watery. The well-draining soil, moderate rainfall and the near 30 degree difference in day and night temperatures in Dindori helps vines produce wines of greater concentration and freshness.
Perhaps the secret of Château d’Ori’s wines are that its Bordeaux-style winery and vineyards, nestled on the slopes of the Nehra-Ohri hills, are located in such an exceptional zone. The huge circular winery, which sits at the apex of the triangular property, can accommodate 72 large stainless steel tanks for fermentation and storage and is an adaptation of the latest winery designs in Bordeaux. Even the grafts of its six varietals: the red cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah and the white sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and chardonnay were selected and imported from Bordeaux. In fact, Château d’Ori boasts of the largest merlot plantation in India.
Niphad in eastern Nashik, another important wine-producing area, boasts of at least four wineries. Apart from Reveilo, Sailo, the co-operative Vinsura Winery and the MIDC Wine Park are located here. Reveilo, whose reserve range is only available at premium hotels, restaurants and select retail stores, is the most famous and probably has the most impressive operation. Unlike most wineries, where only the production areas are temperature controlled, it is the only producer whose storage areas and trucks are also temperature controlled. Its three new wines from the sangiovese, nero d’avola and grillo grapes will make it the first company to produce wines from Italian grapes. By the time its wines hit the shelves later in the year, its tasting room should also be ready, giving visitors a chance to taste and purchase wines at the winery itself.
On the western edge of Nashik, closer to Mumbai are two new wineries just outside Igatpuri town. Indus Wines, the older of the two, which began operations about two years ago, is the only gravitation flow winery in Asia. At the top of the winery which is built into the hillside, the grapes are received and crushed, the juice flowing downward into the fermentation and storage tanks that are built on successive lower levels towards the base of the hill. Just about a kilometre up the road from them is the spanking new Valle de Vin. The beautifully landscaped facility is set against terraced young vineyards planted with chenin blanc, viognier, shiraz and grenache. Valle de Vin, which is the only winery offering conducted wine tours of its facilities, interestingly offers two spaces for visitors to try out their wines. A large table set up inside their barrel room is perfect for those looking for an atmospheric setting to do a serious tasting and the soon to be launched wine bar in the upstairs lobby area offering a panoramic view is ideal for drinkers who’d like a more relaxed ambience.
Nashik may be the most famous wine producing district, but it was certainly not the first, nor is it the only one in Maharashtra. Narayangaon is a quiet village on the outskirts of Pune from where Château Indage launched its wines and Nandi Hills is the bastion of Grover Vineyards outside Bangalore where modern Indian wines were born.
The stories of both are well known, though in recent years Château Indage has developed a considerably large arsenal of wines. On its sprawling 2,500 hectares of vineyards, spread across various sites in Pune and Nashik, more than 20 varieties of grape are grown, all of which are processed at its winery consisting of three units at Narayangaon. Though a much smaller operation in comparison, Grover is the only company that shuns ordinary table grapes, using exclusive French wine grapes selected from 35 varieties of the Vitis Vinifera species.
However, one of the most expansive recent projects is the winery set up by UB Wines in Baramati about an hour’s drive from Pune. While finishing touches are still being given to the façade and the hospitality spaces, the well planned and designed winery is fully functional. Huge investments have been made to equip the facility with the most modern technology, which in time promises to become one of the largest wine companies in the country. Wine tourism is also clearly on the agenda, with a wine spa, deluxe rooms and suites, a swimming pool, restaurant, tasting room and conference room already planned. It is already the first winery with its own helipad.
As wine consumption continues to grow, many more new wineries are expected to open across the country with larger swathes of agricultural land coming under wine grape cultivation. Bangalore has already seen a new winery open, Big Banyan has started operations in Goa, Sangli and Solapur in Maharashtra, and states like Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are also likely to see the establishment of a new generation of wine entrepreneurs. ¨
Published in Hi! LIVING JULY-AUGUST 2009
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