Sula Winery

Not sure if I've told all of you this yet, but it is really hard to find good boos in India. In particular, wine is extremely hard to come by. We have a standing order among expats that if you are visiting, or leaving the country, that when you re-enter, you must bring back two bottles of wine.

In India, there is one good winery, Sula. At least, in my opinion, the rest of them barely qualify as grape juice, let alone wine. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my good friend Ashwin in Mumbai had connections with the vineyard. And, by connections, I mean that his family owns it.

Ashwin promptly invited all of us to join him at his villa on the vineyard. It is a private estate reserved specifically for the family. Saamra, Nick, Neel, and I flew into Mumbai and drove out with the rest of the gang the next morning in two large vehicles. On the way, we passed loads of overturned trucks and bicyclists wearing crazy orange colors.

We arrived to find ourselves at a gorgeous winery that easily could have been in Napa. Here we are in front of the vineyard, right outside the villa.

Villa view

The villa was at the foot of a small hill. And, in front, it was enshrouded with grape vines and large oak tress. We each had our own room, and ate together in a large common area. The private chef we had was fantastic, and prepared anything we wanted.

The actualy tasting center was just a short 5 minute walk from the villa itself. 

Driving Times

Not sure if you all have heard, but it takes forever to get anywhere in India. Most people have a 20-25 kilometer commute. Which, is approximately 12-15 miles. However, here, that distance easily takes close to 1 hour.

But, that is in the city, so when I was told that we were going to Nashik to visit the winery, I asked how far it was I was told 190 KMs, or 120 miles. So, I figured that would take around 2 hours. Needless to say, I was wrong. It took close to 5 hours, and here are two examples of why. 

A few bottles

We all went on a private tour of the winery, including the storage cellars. Here, Neel and I are surrounded by 1000s of bottles of Sula champagne. 

The Villa

The morning after, we needed some good relaxation time. (From the hard day and night of wine tasting.) So, we hung out in the covered courtyard, and were served breakfast. From left to right: Nick, Neel, Farah, Ashwin, Zeenia, me, and Saamra.