A day trip to vineyards

This trip had been in my to-do list since the last few years. Every year, after the announcement of Sula festival, I would try to plan for it. But somehow it never materialised, until now.

The best time to visit vineyards is just 3 months a year, i.e. January to March. That is when the grapes have ripened and the crushing process is in full swing. Therefore, we chose a weekend in February, and set off on yet another interesting trip.

The most popular vineyard, Sula, is situated about 150 km from Mumbai and comes 15 km before Nashik. The most convenient route is via the Mumbai-Nashik highway. So we (four wanderers) got into a car and hit the road on a pleasant Sunday morning, with Google maps as our best friend! 🙂

We halted once for tea and snacks. As we neared the divergence in the highway towards Sula, we came across signboards guiding us. But guess what… When we reached the gates of Sula vineyards, we did not stop. Thanks to our research and expertise as wanderers, we drove 1 km more and went to York vineyards!

York Vineyards – Awesome !!!

York is a relatively newer and less popular vineyard. But that worked in our favor. There were just a handful of visitors at York when we reached. It has a beautiful garden, where we clicked pictures to our heart’s content! 🙂 Thereafter, we enquired about the vineyard tour and wine tasting. York has two options: Rs. 250 for tasting 7 wines and Rs. 150 for tasting 5 wines. The first option also included a tour of the vineyard. However, the sommelier offered us a complimentary tour even if we opted for the second option. We still went ahead with tasting 7 wines 🙂

Cheers !!!

The tour and tasting was scheduled to start in about 10 minutes, by when they expected few more visitors. We used that time very productively, clicking some more pictures. By the time the tour started, there were about 15 of us. The sommelier took us around the facility, and explained the history of York vineyards, their wine making process, the different types of grapes, the seasons, etc. And he readily answered whatever questions we had. After the informative tour, we proceeded for the tasting, where we were again enlightened about the nuances of wine tasting and the different wines. Those willing to purchase wines could do so, at a 10% discount. We sat in the restaurant, munching some snacks to wear off the effect of the wine, as we had to drive back.

Are your ready for tasting ???                                   Pyramid of Wine Bottles – All yours 🙂

Our next halt was Sula, and we were truly glad about visiting York first. By the time we reached Sula, we were famished and headed straight towards one of the restaurants there. But we were kept waiting for about 15-20 minutes as none of the tables were available. Nevertheless, the food was decent, although priced a bit on the higher side. After lunch, we explored the premises. While the vineyard is nice, our spirits were dampened by the large number of visitors swarming the place. Upon enquiring about the tour and tasting, we were told that it’d cost us Rs.350, including tasting 6 wines. Without tasting, the tour alone would cost Rs. 100.

Sula Vineyard

We simply decided to have a glass of wine and head back home. When we reached the restaurant serving wine, which also overlooks the vineyard, there were no tables available. Particularly the ones with the best view were least likely to be vacated soon. The servers were not helpful either. They said if we could find a table, they will serve us 😦

Disappointed with the place and the people, we proceeded towards the parking lot. On our way, we noticed a vineyard tour about to begin. The sommelier was surrounded by over 50 people. I have my doubts as to how much knowledge those people would gain.

How far are you ?

Once again, we summoned our dear friend, Google maps, and commenced our return journey. We halted for tea and snacks on our way, but still reached home by late evening, with yet another destination ticked off our list!

Cost: Approx. Rs. 1,200 per person (including fuel cost, tolls, wine tasting, and meals)

Tips and tricks:

1. Seasonality: Given that the season to visit vineyards lasts just 3 months, plan your trip accordingly. If grape stomping interests you, visit the vineyard before the Sula festival, as later on, they run out of grapes.
2. Vineyard: If you would really like to know about wines and enjoy the place peacefully, Sula is not the best place. You can pick another vineyard, York in our case, and have an enriching experience.
3. Safety: While it is perfectly manageable driving from Mumbai and back, please do not drink and drive. If the person driving intends to taste wine, please keep some buffer time to sober up, in the interest of your own safety and that of others.