In September 2018 we had the lovely opportunity
to visit Deolali in Nashik.
After getting off at Mumbai Airport we took a
cab to Nashik via Igatpuri.
I would like to mention here for first time visitors
that we were not aware - there are quite a few good Vineyards in Igatpuri
itself. If we were, we would have made a stop there. Igatpuri is famous for the
largest Vipassana centre in the world. We mentally reserved the plan for
visiting sometime in the near future.
It was a bit later in the evening, from
Deolali, that we started off to experience the vineyards. Our First stop was
not the oft referred and well known Sula, but SOMA Vineyards ,
just a few kms ahead of Sula.
Soma Vineyards
The property has beautiful well-appointed rooms
for the ones who want to spend a leisurely vacation here and Wine tastings for
travelers who do not have that much of time in hand.
Soma Vineyards is a relatively new Vineyard
with its first vintage starting in 2014 - the place offers India’s first
boutique winery’s guided tour in which a Sommelier educates you regarding wine
making and takes you through the processes of making White, Red, Rose as well
as sparkling wines.
This guided tour is followed by wine tasting
session in which they provide you an expert training on techniques of tasting a
wine and offer you some finest boutique wines to taste.
The tours and tastings are held throughout the
week.
The operating hours are 11:30 am to 6:30 pm and
reasonably priced at INR 350 for 5 wines (Cheese platter is at an extra cost).
There are discounts for Students, Corporates
and groups.
York
As we finished our wine tour at Soma, we drove
to the next very exquisite Vineyard – the York Tasting Room.
Being a full moon night the view was
breathtaking. Sitting next to the Gangapur Dam backwaters at the Cellar Door
Restaurant serving amazing Indian food with the select wine and the full
moon for company was a memory created for a life time. It was an ethereal
experience and these pleasant memories will be cherished for long times to
come.
York tasting room also offers wine tasting
tours, however we did not do the wine tasting here. Again a relatively new
Vineyard, but a must watch out for in the future for wine lovers.
It is important to note that there is no way to
order online (Soma and York) and they do not retail in all states (Due to
government regulations). So advice is to stock up as much as possible when you
are visiting there in person!!
Here are my must try recommendations:
At Soma: Chardonnay, Dessert Rose
At York: Shiraz, Cabernet Merlot
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