
Nashik, the wine capital of India, nurtures about 52 vineyards, and we need to speak volumes about the same, especially at a time when people are taking an interest in vinotourism and homegrown labels. The hilly terrain and cold weather of the lake-clad city has the perfect land and weather combination for red and white wine grape variants like Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc.
We were invited recently for a quick vineyard trail and to witness the launch of The Indian Wine Studio at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Nashik’s take on celebrating the finest homegrown wines from India. After a flight to Mumbai, followed by a four hours drive to the city, we checked into the hotel. It offers not just a curated vinotourism or a wine-pairing menu, but also takes you on religious trails in and around the city, which is historically known as Panchvati, where the mythological characters Ram, Lakshman, and Sita spent 14 years of exile.
After polishing off a Tuscan lunch at their all-day diner, The Smoked Vine, washing everything down with glasses of sangrias, we got ready for our first drop at Vallonné Winery, which is just 30 minutes away from the hotel.
Our first stop
India’s first wine professional-turned-vintner, Shailendra Pai, established Vallonné Vineyards in Nashik in 2009, country’s first boutique winery built over ten acres of land. Along with a range of handcrafted wines, the winery boasts a tranquil environment, away from the hubbub of the city, and allows you to witness one of the best sunsets amidst the hills and the Blue Lake. While their rosé is the only one in India to be made with Cabernet Sauvignon, what we really loved is their sweet Merlot red wine and their limited edition, Anokhee Grand Reserve Collection. If you are new to wines, this may take a while to suit your palate, but for the connoisseurs, it has the perfect combination of sweetness and a fuller body that leaves a velvety feel. Paired best with salty and aged cheeses and crackers, this can surely be a conversation starter. Vallonné is also the only vineyard to produce Vin de passerillage, a dessert wine made from grapes that are air-dried and shrivelled after harvest, through a process called passerillage.
Pairing food with wine
What we really enjoyed on our first night was the seven-course meal with seven indigenous ingredients, paired beautifully with four variants of wine, curated by Chef Prasen Gavali. Semi-dry and bubbly Frizzano was paired well with the first few courses, which boasted amaranth, three beans and gucchi mushrooms; with the light-bodied white wine Sula chenin blanc taking over to be paired with a vine leaf. While the full-bodied Sula Dindori red wine with spices and smokiness was an apt pairing with the pearl barley and pulled lamb barista gravy for the mains, the Rasa Cabernet Sauvignon with the dessert Aaamsotto was all about tropical fruits, mango in the dessert and plump red fruits and berries in the drink.
While the first day was all about learning the basics of wine and tasting them, day two was about taking it a notch higher with spotting baby wine grapes at the Chandon Winery, learning the bottling processes, experiencing a vinotherapy spa, and indulging in more wines.
An experience to remember
The sparkling wines at Chandon India are crisp, fresh and fruity, and have a balance, elegance, and harmony, all at the same time. They choose to make their wines using the traditional method, hence after the winter harvest, they begin the process with grapes that have a nice crisp acidity to them. A walk down their manufacturing unit was nothing short of an eye-opener. We got to know how long the wine takes to be made from the humble grapes. From harvesting to crushing and pressing, fermentation to ageing and bottling, destemming, settling and racking, maturation, blending, and cellaring, the winemaking process can take a year or more, followed by another couple of years before it reaches the market.
After tasting Chandon’s Brut, Rosé, and only still wine Aurva, we had our hearts on Délice. It is a golden yellow sparkling wine with fine bubbles with aromas and notes of apple, nectarine, citrus, and tropical fruits with a lively palate with fruity flavours, tasting very similar to a peach wine. If you have ever tasted ZumZin peach wine from Bhutan, you would know what taste notes we are talking about.
Upon returning to the hotel, we headed straight to experience the vinotherapy, after a quick steam. The cold wine had a chilling effect when poured on us. A relaxed massage followed and we felt rejuvenated.
The night was all about the launch party at The Indian Wine Studio, where we learnt the tricks of the trade, shared by none other than Sonal Holland, India’s first and only Master of Wine. We indulged in guided tastings, exploring the nuanced flavours of the country’s best-known wines alongside exclusive boutique labels. The whole concept aims at acquainting guests with the rich diversity and exceptional quality of Indian wines, providing an unparalleled opportunity to appreciate and celebrate the artistry of local winemakers. Whether you are a seasoned connoisseur or new to the world of wine, this experience promises to be an engaging and enlightening journey into India’s viticulture.
We wrapped up our trip with a lovely rooftop dinner and took back memories of the experience.
Tips to taste a wine
Sniff the glass to smell the volatile flavours
Hold it by the stem and never the bowl of the glass. Wine will tend to get warmer from the heat of your fingers if held at the bowl of the glass.
Swirl it and smell it again to smell the flavours again. This time, you will smell stronger flavours induced by aeration.
Take a sip and swirl or gurgle in your mouth. This is how you can taste a wine to get all its flavours.
No need to swirl sparkling wines since they already have aeration in them.