Vallonne Vineyards – Nashik

The last stop on wine tour was Vallonne Vineyards. The boutique winery lies on the gentle slopes of the Sahyadri mountain ranges and the Mukhne Lake overlooking the Kavnai Peak, making it an ideal place for vineyards.

With their wine making techniques and state-of-the-art technology their wines include Malbec, Rose, Vin De Passerillage and Anokhee Cabernet Sauvignon which are unique offerings in the Indian wine market.

Enthusiastic Chetan, their wine executive, with his wonderful  knowledge was the tour guide & expert who then took us through their wine processing production line to their  fascinating barrel ageing cellar where the  temperature is regulated. The filling of nitrogen in bottle to using nitrogen dry ice in the case of white wine at the beginning. Well every bit was useful input during the tour

The tasting of the wine was uniquely held & included:
Vallonne Riesling
Vallonne Viognier Reserve Collection
Vallonne Rose Cab Sauvignon
Vallonne Merlot Reserve
Vallonne Vin de Passerillage ( Dessert wine)

Must say thier limited release Vin de Passerillage ( Dessert wine) which reminded me of the ice wine was a luscious treat. This one is produced in small quantities from the good handpicked grapes, sun-dried to ensure the highest concentration of aromas and sugars. The rich, deep golden wine has a wonderful complex nose nostalgic with hints of honey, vanilla, melons, citrus and apricot which said to pair perfect
with rich chocolate, fruit tarts, dried fruits, ice creams and cheeses.

Sula Vineyards – Nashik

During my working years with the Indian Customs in Mumbai, I had set my mind to visit Wineries of Nashik. However, due to time constraint and work commitments I could not make it. Post my voluntary retirement, the first thing I decided was to fulfill this dream. So before I could set myself to a WSET Level 2 course in Wines, I decided to tour Nashik Wineries during the month of February 2020.

Sula Vineyards -Nashik

I started with Sula Vineyards located in the region of Nashik also called “India’s Napa Valley which was founded in the year 1998 by Rajeev Samant. Sula was named after his mother – Sulabha. Initially, the vineyards introduced grape varietals such as Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling and Zinfandel. Thereafter, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Grenache, Viognier were in!

Sula conducts their wine tour on a regular basis and we could get the slot of 11.30 am to 12.30 pm. Since we were early and had a good 90 minutes, I decided to take the Vineyard tour. The entrance to the Sula Vineyard is magnificent which leads to some well manicured garden and par excellence architecture on the right and beautiful vineyards to the left. Apart from the amphitheater, they have stay facilities – The Source at Sula and Beyond by Sula. You come across the directions signpost with distance to many countries. A tour of their Wine shop which had an array of their products displayed with prices is a must visit to get a knowledge about their wines.

Some of the famous wines produced by them are:

Red Wines: Rasa Shiraz, Rasa Cabernet Sauvignon, Dindori Reserve Shiraz, Sula Cabernet Shiraz, Sula Zinfandel, Satori Merlot Malbec, Mosaic Grenache Syrah, Dia Red,
White Wines: Dindori Reserve Viognier, Sula Sauvignon blanc, Sula Chenin blanc, Sula Riesling, Sula Chenin blanc Reserve, Mosaic Chenin Sauvignon,
Dia White, Rosé Wine, Sula Zinfandel Rosé, Mosaic Grenache Syrah Rosé
Sparkling Wines: Sula Brut, Sula Brut Rosé, Sula Seco, Sula Seco Rosé ,

Finally around 11.30 am met Nidad the Wine Educator who then took us around explaining their journey from grape to  glass. The insight to their wine making process was well explained.

Thoroughly enjoyed a personalized wine tasting at The Tasting Cellar where we tasted & analysed
-Sparkling Wine – Brut Chardonnay
-Sauvignon Blanc
-Dindori Reserve Chardonnay
-Rassa Syrah
-Rassa Cabernet Sauvignon
-Late Harvest Chenin Blanc

It was a perfect wine tasting session starting from bubbly brut to the whites then the Reds & finally culminating to the dessert wine.