The Sula Vineyards: The Perfect Place To Kickback And Relax

It goes without saying that the Sula vineyards is high on the list of anyone who visits Nashik, Maharashtra. While the city is popular for its temples, the Sula vineyards adds another dimension to the holiday since Sula is one of the upcoming wines in the country.

It’s intriguing and the experience is novel. It’s one of those Indian experiences that you think about when you read popular quotes and captions about the country.

There was no way that we were going to say no to a glass of wine even if Sula isn’t my favorite brand. Since I had missed the opportunity to go on a wine tasting tour when we were in France, I wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass me by once more. Neither for that matter was Shawn.

Our plan was simple. We would meet up with our friend Akshay and his cousins at the Sula vineyard during our road trip from Bangalore to Nashik. That was where all the fun was due to begin. I digress though. Let me tell you about our wine tasting adventure and to do that I must start at the very beginning.

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Location Of The Sula Vineyards

The Sula vineyards are not located directly in the city (Thank God for that!). They are a drive away (Approximately 14 kilometres depending on where you are) but at the same time the roads are good and its easy to reach.

We took about 30 minutes in peak hour traffic so that should give you an estimate. The best part about is that the vineyards are particularly quiet (unless an unruly mob enters) and the whole place is peaceful.

Once you get there, you will find that parking is not a problem as there is a large parking lot. I don’t remember paying a parking fee. All you must do is enter and be ready to have some fun.

Can You Visit Sula Vineyards Without Staying?

The answer is yes. The Sula Vineyards offers an experiential place to stay in and its great since you don’t have to drive after all the wine (ahem…) tasting. On the other hand, not staying in the vineyards allows you to have almost the same experience while being easy on the pocket. I think it is more of a personal preference.

Me… I preferred staying with friends, visiting as a group and enjoying the tour. There is much to be said about good company on any travel experience and this was no exception.

The Sula Vineyards

An arrangement that we passed by before we booked our Sula vineyards tour.

There are five main parts to the Sula vineyards. They aren’t very difficult to find since the place is really quite small. I’ve listed the parts just to give you a short preview into what to expect.

The Vineyards

The vineyards are spread out over a large patch of land. There are different places where you can catch a view of them. They form a pretty cool backdrop and you can even walk around should you want.

During the peak season, these vineyards are lush and full. Don’t worry if you don’t head here during season time. You can still take part in many of the other activities in Sula vineyards which are all year round.

If nothing else, there is wine!

The Gift Shop

The gift shop has a number of quirky t-shirts with interesting quotes. We spent a lot of time here browsing before our wine tour started.

Aside from the gifts that you could purchase, the gift shop is also the go to place to book the Sula vineyard tours.

The Store

Just opposite the gift shop is the store where the wine is sold. If you do head for the Sula vineyard tours, then save the ticket stub. You are entitled to a percentage off on the wine you buy. I recommend the Brut Tropicale. I’m not a big fan of the Sula wines but this one has been my constant favorite.

The Processing Unit

You don’t get to see the processing unit unless you pay for the Sula vineyard tours. This is the place where the wine is made and stored. There is an area where the tasting sessions are also held but I will tell you more about it in a while.

The Restaurant

The restaurant is on the first floor of the structure where an assortment of snacks and food are served along with the wine of your choice. The entire range of different Sula wines is available here and a short description of each is provided on the menu.

Best Time To Visit

The best time to visit the vineyards would definitely be during the wine making season because you would get to see the entire process in action.

As for the time of the day, I would personally suggest visiting the vineyards around late afternoon to early evening. This gives you enough time to finish the Sula vineyards tour before heading out to the restaurant for more wine and a gorgeous sunset.

The Sula Vineyards Tour

This was the restaurant at the Sula vineyards. The top most image is the view from the seats.

One thing that I should make clear is that the type of tour that you embark on depends on the season. If its not the season for grapes then you will not see the actual process in action. We did not make it for the Sula Vineyards tour during grape season and when we went to the counter to buy the tickets we were given a basic idea of what we would see (i.e. No grapes!!).

The cost was nominal at Rs 375/- per person with samples of six different wines (30 ml each). If you don’t want to the Sula vineyards tour, you can just head up to the restaurant and sip wine while taking in the view. Shawn and I were determined to see the process and the tour was cheap, so we thought why not?

During the tour we were told that Sula grows its vineyard in the North to South direction so that the entire plantation gets equal amount of light. This light is essential in the uniform ripening of grapes. They showed us the machine where the grapes were separated from the leaves and stalk.

We even got to see the machine that is used for crushing the grapes. An interesting fact that we learned that day was that both red and green grapes can be used to make red wine, but only green grapes are used to make white wine!

Once we were done with the separation and the crushing, we were taken to the fermentation area. The tanks in this area were huge. There is a total of 140 tanks in the fermentation area and it makes the place feel like a maze. With wine fermented and stabilized, it is then sent to the storage room but not before it is stored in barrels.

We found the barrels really interesting. The wood used to make the barrels is oak wood. Once the strips are cut, they are then heated to take shape. The oak wood is said to help remove the harshness of the wine’s flavour. The longer it is stored in the barrel, the finer the taste of the wine.

Toasted barrels give the wine a smoky flavor. These barrels however cannot be allowed to dry out. That is the reason why the stored at a cool temperature. The room is repeatedly sprayed with a mist of water to prevent drying which would in turn result in oxidation.

With the actual tour out of the way it was time to learn how to taste wine. Something that we were never taught but it is never to late to learn. Right? I’m not going to break that down further because tasting wine requires your senses to be active and you need to savour the moment.

While Sula is not our favourite wine, we did find that we liked one of Sula’s sparkling wines: Brut Tropicale. That was a pleasant surprise considering the fact that we are not that big fans of sparkling wines either!

Friends, Food And Wine

All you need in the world are good friends. Our mandatory selfie at the Sula vineyards

We headed to the restaurant on the first floor to join our friends for some food, wine and fun. The setting sun provided a great view as the yellow rays hit the green leaves of the vineyard below. The atmosphere was peaceful, and we spent the evening recounting old stories and making new memories.

Shamelessly we knocked down a couple more glasses of Brut Tropicale. We loved it so much that we even bought a couple of bottles to take home with us.

The Sula Vineyards tour was our first wine tasting experience. While it is not necessarily the primary attraction in Nashik, it is worth heading out to. It makes for a perfect quite evening. If you aren’t heading out there with friends, you can turn the evening into a romantic evening for two.

Where To Stay When Visiting Sula Vineyards

Sula even has two resorts called ‘The Source at Sula’ and ‘Beyond by Sula‘ where you can stay on site and enjoy a holiday. The Source at Sula is said to have tree houses and a variety of suites and rooms. We personally have not stayed at the resorts, but they sounded like something we would do if we visited Nashik again.

To wind off, I think that it is important to remember that life is full of experiences and these experiences are largely governed by the people that surround us. Our experience at the Sula vineyards helped us created memories. So while the wine, the food and the ambiance was amazing… The memories created were even better!

If you are in the area, I suggest taking a look at our road trip to Nashik which talks about all the interesting places we visited in the area.

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**All opinions are our own.