Travelogue- Sula Vineyards, Oct 2023

Sula was not even on our minds when my husband and I were planning a break. We thought about and explored some options in the far south but the travel time was too much. We needed a shorter commute. Then there was Rajasthan, our go-to place for a quick break. It was a fail-safe option but it wasn't 'clicking' this time. One week to our travel dates, and we had still not settled on a destination. That's us. 

And then, all of a sudden, I thought of Sula (Yup, taking the due credit here). I had been reading about Sula for a long time but never thought of going. I looked up the place and the photos stunned me. I like my wines but my dear husband is not fond of this glamorous spirit. So I was skeptical he would agree to this. But the stars were in my favour and he agreed. (It was only after I booked all the tickets, that he realized that Sula does not serve any other alcohol. )

Google Maps showed approximately 7 hours drive from Indore to Nashik. We thought of driving. But the flight tickets were cheap and the time was very convenient. So we decided to skip the efforts of driving and taking the air route instead. 

We landed at the Nashik Airport at 2:15 PM and took a cab which took another 50 mins. We stopped for tea on the way and our cab driver took us to a wonderful tea cafe. The 'basundi chaha" was outstanding. "Basundi" in Marathi is sweetened and thickened milk. The "basundi tea" refers to a tea that is made without adding any water to it and is slightly sweet. The delicious tea was our cue that the trip was going to be excellent.  

We reached the destination at around 4PM and the first look left us speechless. The beautiful grape vines and innovative landscaping of the property were outstanding. There were huge bottle sculptures of their signature wines and many points for capturing photos. We were escorted to the main building, The Source" in an electric buggy. The Source is the place where it all began way back in 1999, when Rajeev Samant, made the first wine. (More about Sula history later).

The check-in process was quick and the polite and professional staff of the resort escorted us to our room. We had booked a vintage room room with a garden view. The room was beautiful, with just the right amount of vintage vibes. The room came with a small balcony, perfect for a morning coffee or evening wine. There was a complimentary award-winning wine and some desserts waiting for us in the room on arrival.

There are options for lunch and dinner within the property. The restaurants, La Bodega and RASA, serve delicious Indian and International cuisines and their staff help you select your wines to go with the food you order. The food was extremely satisfying and the ambiance was lovely.

Sula is known for their wine tasting tours and they proudly mention that more people taste their first wine here than anywhere else. The tour lasts for approximately 45 mins, including the tasting of wines which takes more time than their actual manufacturing unit. 

In the wine-making process, the tour guide shows you where and how the grapes harvested (from Jan to April every year) are crushed, and juice is extracted and stored for fermentation. The barrel cellar is surreal. There is an overbearing aroma of the wines and the wooden barrel in the dark cellar. 

The Wine tasting in itself is a good opportunity if you are really interested in knowing your rines. Otherwise, it is just a memorable experience. The guide narrated her well-practiced sermon about the "5-S" of wine tasting- See, Smell, Swirl, Sip, and Spit. We tasted 6 varieties of wines and I have to say, I was enlighted. I think I know my wines a little better now (also because I dived into the internet to learn more about wines right after the tour). 

The Bottle Shop at the property offers all the varieties of wines of Sula. Buy all that you can carry (FYI, you can carry 5 litres of alcohol in your check-in baggage in India. Make sure that you pack your bottles within layers of paper and clothing to avoid damage from all the mishandling at airports.)

The Sula Property is excellent. We walked around a lot. There are bicycles available, if you are up for all the uphill and downhill maneuvers on the cycling track. It will be quite an effort if you are not used to it. The staff is very well trained, professional and welcoming and will greet you every time they see you and help you with almost everything. We bought a few grape graftings to plant on our farm from a nursery in Nashik (not Sula) and the staff helped us pack it properly for aircraft travel. 

We spent 2-nights at Sula, The Source, and I must say that the experience has been memorable. We will talk about it for a long time to come. 

Thumb-up Sula for:

• Building and maintaining a beautiful property that captures nature's highlights and providing comfort for a relaxed break
• Incorporating sustainable practices into its operations such as solar-powered lighting and appliances, rainwater harvesting, shunning plastic as much as possible such as serving water in refillable glass bottles, bamboo toothbrushes and shaving kits, etc., paperless/digital menus in the rooms and the restaurants.
• Taking India-made wines to the international level and bringing them closer to the Indian populace through their wine-tasting tours and offering a variety of wines as per the Indian palate
• Training their staff to be professional and courteous and keeping them happy, which was apparent by the way they were going out of the way to meet the varied demands of the guests

Suggestions for taking it up a notch:

• The property is approximately 30 km from the airport. Although most of their guests drive from Mumbai, there is a considerable number of passengers taking the air route. The only way to travel from the airport to the resort is by private cabs. Not only is it expensive, it is adding to the traffic and pollution in the city. For example, 3 cabs came from the airport to the resort at the same time, which means they started at the same time we did. A shuttle facility by 8-12 seater vehicle provided by the resort for pick up and drop could save 3 cars from ferrying down and up the airport and save the guests some cost too.