Sula Vineyards: A Complete Guide to India’s Finest Winery

Have you ever dreamed of visiting a winery and tasting some of the finest wines in the world? If yes, then you should definitely visit Sula Vineyards, India’s leading wine company and a pioneer of wine tourism in the country. Located in the scenic Nashik valley, Sula Vineyards offers a range of experiences that will delight your senses and enrich your knowledge of wine culture. Whether you want to learn about the art of wine making, enjoy a glass of wine with a stunning view, or indulge in some fun activities like grape stomping or music festivals, Sula Vineyards has something for everyone.

In this article, we will give you a complete guide to Sula Vineyards and help you plan your visit to this amazing destination.

Photo of Sula Vineyard 1/2 by — (C) Booking.com

Tours and Tastings at Sula Vineyards

One of the main attractions of Sula Vineyards is the wine tour and tasting experience that takes you through the entire process of wine production, from grape cultivation to bottling. The tour lasts for about an hour and is conducted by expert guides who explain the history, science, and art of wine making in an engaging and informative way. You will get to see the vineyards, the crushing units, the fermentation tanks, the barrel room, and the bottling plant. You will also learn about the different types of grapes, wines, and wine regions in India and abroad.

The tour ends with a wine tasting session at the tasting room, where you will get to sample six different wines from Sula’s portfolio. You will learn how to appreciate the color, aroma, flavor, and texture of each wine and how to pair them with food. You will also get a certificate of completion and a souvenir glass to take home. The tour and tasting experience costs Rs. 500 per person on weekdays and Rs. 700 per person on weekends and public holidays. The timings are from 11:30 am to 6:30 pm on all days. You can book your tour online or at the reception desk at Sula Vineyards.

Some tips and recommendations for enjoying the wine tour and tasting are:

- Book your tour in advance to avoid long queues and waiting time.

- Carry a valid ID proof as alcohol consumption is only allowed for people above 21 years of age.

- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes as you will be walking around the winery for an hour.

- Avoid wearing perfume or cologne as it might interfere with your sense of smell while tasting wines.

- Drink plenty of water and eat something before and after the tasting session to avoid getting dehydrated or tipsy.

- Do not drink and drive. Hire a cab or use public transport to reach Sula Vineyards.

Read about Yajnaseni's experience at the Sula Vineyards

Grape Stomping at Sula Vineyards

Another fun activity that you can enjoy at Sula Vineyards is grape stomping, which is the traditional method of crushing grapes with your feet to extract their juice for making wine. Grape stomping takes place between January and March, which is the harvest season for grapes in Nashik. You can participate in this activity by paying Rs. 500 per person at the reception desk at Sula Vineyards. You will be given a pair of clean socks and a bucket full of fresh grapes to stomp on. You can stomp alone or with a partner or a group of friends. You can also take pictures and videos of your grape stomping experience and share them on social media.

Grape stomping has many benefits and fun aspects, such as:

- It releases stress and tension by allowing you to vent out your emotions in a playful way.

- It makes you feel closer to nature by connecting you with the raw material of wine making.

- It gives you a sense of accomplishment by contributing to the production of wine.

- It creates memories that last a lifetime by giving you a unique and unforgettable experience.

Other Facilities at Sula Vineyard

Sula Vineyards is not just a winery but also a destination that offers various facilities for visitors to relax, dine, shop, and stay. Some of the facilities available at Sula Vineyards are:

Stay: If you want to extend your visit to Sula Vineyards, you can choose from two accommodation options that are located within the premises. The first one is The Source at Sula, which is India’s first heritage winery resort that offers 23 luxurious rooms, suites, and cottages with views of the vineyards or the Gangapur lake. The second one is Beyond by Sula, which is a boutique resort that offers 10 lake-view rooms, a swimming pool, a spa, and a restaurant. Both the resorts have modern amenities, elegant interiors, and friendly staff that will make your stay comfortable and memorable.

Visit: If you want to explore more of Sula Vineyards, you can visit the various attractions and activities that are available on the property. You can visit the Sula Amphitheatre, which is a beautiful open-air venue that hosts live music concerts, cultural events, and weddings. You can also visit the Sula Art Gallery, which showcases the works of local and national artists and supports various social causes. You can also visit the Sula Rasa Vineyard, which is an exclusive vineyard that produces Sula’s premium wine brand, Rasa. You can also enjoy some outdoor activities like cycling, kayaking, or boating at the Gangapur Lake.

Dining: If you want to savor some delicious food and wine at Sula Vineyards, you can choose from three restaurants that cater to different tastes and preferences. The first one is Little Italy, which is a fine-dining restaurant that serves authentic Italian cuisine and Sula wines. The second one is Soma, which is a casual-dining restaurant that serves Indian cuisine and Sula wines. The third one is Rasa, which is a fine-dining restaurant that serves continental cuisine and Rasa wines. All the restaurants have cozy ambience, scenic views, and courteous service that will make your dining experience enjoyable and satisfying.

Shopping: If you want to buy some souvenirs or gifts from Sula Vineyards, you can visit the two shops that are located on the property. The first one is The Tasting Room, which is a wine shop that sells all the wines from Sula’s portfolio as well as wine accessories, wine books, wine glasses, and wine bags. The second one is The Bottle Shop, which is a gift shop that sells wine-themed merchandise, such as t-shirts, caps, mugs, keychains, magnets, etc. You can also buy some organic products, such as jams, honey, cheese, etc., from the Sula Farm.

Also Read: 5 Impressive Vineyards In India That Are Not Sula

Sula Fest

One of the most awaited events of the year at Sula Vineyards is the Sula Fest, which is an annual music festival that takes place in February. Sula Fest attracts thousands of music lovers from across the country and abroad who come to enjoy live performances by national and international artists from various genres, such as rock, pop, jazz, blues, folk, etc. Sula Fest also features food stalls from different cuisines, flea market from local vendors, camping facilities for overnight stayers, and of course, plenty of wine from Sula’s collection. Sula Fest is a celebration of music, wine, food, art, and culture that promises to give you an unforgettable experience.

Photo of Sula Vineyard 2/2 by — (C) Google

History of Sula Vineyards

Sula Vineyards was founded in 1999 by Rajeev Samant, a Stanford graduate who quit his corporate job in Silicon Valley and returned to his ancestral land in Nashik to pursue his passion for wine making. He planted the first grape vines on his family’s 30-acre farm with the help of Kerry Damskey, a Californian winemaker who became his mentor and partner. Together, they experimented with different grape varieties and wine styles and launched India’s first Sauvignon Blanc in 2000. Since then, Sula Vineyards has grown to become India’s largest wine producer with over 300 acres of vineyards across Nashik, Dindori, Sholapur, and Karnataka. Sula Vineyards has also introduced many innovations and initiatives in the Indian wine industry, such as:

- Launching India’s first sparkling wine made by the traditional method (Chenin Blanc Brut) in 2002.

- Launching India’s first dessert wine made by the late harvest method (Late Harvest Chenin Blanc) in 2006.

- Launching India’s first premium wine brand (Rasa) in 2007.

- Launching India’s first vineyard music festival (Sula Fest) in 2008.

- Launching India’s first heritage winery resort (The Source at Sula) in 2017.

- Launching India’s first sustainable winery certification (Sustainable Winegrowing) in 2019.

Sula Vineyards has also won many awards and accolades for its wines and its contribution to the Indian wine industry. Some of the notable awards are:

- Decanter World Wine Awards (UK)

- International Wine Challenge (UK)

- International Wine & Spirit Competition (UK)

- Sommelier India Wine Competition (India)

- Indian Wine Consumer Choice Awards (India)

- Drinks Business Green Awards (UK)

Conclusion

Sula Vineyards is more than just a winery; it is a destination that offers a range of experiences that will enrich your knowledge and taste of wine culture. Whether you are a wine lover, a music lover, a nature lover, or a culture lover, you will find something that suits your interest and mood at Sula Vineyards.

So, what are you waiting for? Book your visit to Sula Vineyards today and discover the best of India’s finest wines. You can also buy Sula wines online from their website or from various online platforms. Cheers!

Sula Vineyard Reviews

Simran Talreja

1 Followers

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When you think of a one day trip what do you imagine? A calm atmosphere, away from the chaotic cities. Well, sula vineyardsis just the kind of place which would relax you from your hectic week. Located at just 200 km away from Mumbai, this is a perfect getaway for everyone out there. This place looks like it is a villa surrounded by vineyards all around it. This is that kind of place Where you can sit in the balcony of the villa, have a glass of wine in your hand and just enjoy the view from there. You can reach sula in an around 3 to 3.5 hours from Mumbai. Leaving Mumbai early morning in a taxi is advised so that you reach sula by 11 to 11:30 am and have ample time to explore the vineyards of sula as the vineyard is open from 11:30 am to 6 pm only. About sula vineyard In 1996, Rajeev samant planted the first wine grapes in Nashik and today this region is India's premier wine-growing region, producing 80% of the country's total wine. Sula also has guest houses where you can relax for a while. Once you are in the midst of the beautiful sula vineyard, you will surely get mesmerized with its awe-inspiring environment. Sula is home to a variety of award winning wines that are made exclusively from premium grapes harvested within the local farms. It offers a wide range of exotic wines including special editions, premiums as well as reserves. The Entrance The entry road is covered with wine grape fields from both side which makes way for the vineyard's wine tasting unit as well as wine factory. Once the tour starts, a guide throws light on the history of the winemaking and explains the stepwise procedure which goes in the making of exotic vines, tank maturing, barrel maturing and finally bottling the wines. The whole process is carried out in the factory located behind the sula vineyard's main building Further, the guide leads the visitors to a bar carved with wooden barrels which has a tinge of vintage effect in it. This is the place where all the tasting is done when it comes to wines. Apart from this, the guide also briefs visitors about various types of wines. Wine tasting After a short 20 minute tour that ranged from the origins of sula, a vivid description and demonstration about the variety of grapes used and sula's particular ontology, we walked into the wine tasting room. The tour included tasting of four wines - one Riesling, one shiraz, one sparkling and one dessert wine. The touring and tasting wines can be done after paying a minimal entry fee which is Rs 150 per person which includes touring and tasting 4 wines. The tickets for wine tasting are available at the reception of the sula vineyard present on the first floor. The first floor also has a beautiful rooftop restaurant where you can enjoy the mesmerizing view of the vineyard while giving your taste buds a treat of your favorite exotic wine. Furthermore, the ground floor of the vineyard is home to the wine tasting unit and consists of a souvenir shop too. The shop has everything ranging from wines, coffee mugs, t-shirts and plenty of wine accessories that will keep the memories of the sula vineyard fresh even after you go back to your routine life. once the tasting session is completed you can relax and eat some delicious Italic and Indian cuisines at little Italy and soma some restaurant. Sula vineyard is known for its wine tasting but, it has a lot more to offer. The sulafest The sulafest is held here in the month of February. Its a fun filled exotic event consisting of awesome food, great wines, music as well as fashion. In addition, the landscape gardening at sula vineyard can serve as a perfect picnic spot if you are not into wines and just wish to unwind and relax for a while. So, go and explore the exotic beauty of sula vineyard and make your weekend a roller coaster ride.

Sanchit Goyal

93 Followers

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Sula, among the most trusted and popular wines in India has their first factory named Sula Vineyard, established in Nashik, around 220 kms from Pune, Maharashtra and 180kms from Mumbai. This is the biggest vineyard in India and is spread over 30 acres of land. If you are in Maharashtra, then this place should be in your must visit list. The best time to visit the place is from January to March, as this is the grape harvesting time of the year and the place reaches just another level. To enter into Sula Vineyards, you'll have to buy tickets at a nominal charge of INR 200 per person, which is a full cover and the complete amount is redeemable inside the campus across all the restaraunts, winery tours tickets, shopping, etc. Also, as you'll enter the premises, you'll get innumerable places to take some awesome photos. *Refer to the pics attached for those places. Note: Do remember to carry your own water bottle along with you, because inside the premises you'll hardly find regular water. The restaurants will offer you 600ml water bottles priced at INR 100 each. Now talking about the wine tasting and tour. The wine tasting and tour has separate tickets as follows: 1- Winery Tour and Wine Tasting - INR 400 pp 2- Winery Tour - INR 250 pp 3- Wine Tasting - INR 250 pp I'll recommend you to go for the first option if you are visiting the place for the first time. The complete tour and tasting takes around 45 minutes, in which, a tour guide person would take you to the winery manufacturing and aging station and would explain you the complete manufacturing process. Once the winery tour is over, the guide will take you for wine tasting, wherein you'll be tasting six most popular sula wines and he'll actually teach you the differences between white, red and sparking wines, how to hold the wine glass, swilrling of the wine and sipping procedure. After exiting from wine tasting room, enjoy your lunch/snacks/dinner at the restaurant just above the wine tasting room. The restaurant is bit overpriced, but is worth a try. Also, try your luck on securing the table next to the side rail as it will offer you an awesome view and an opportunity to take handfull of creative pictures. Ohh sorry, did I forget to mention about the grape stamping. Here you'll even get the chance to crush the grapes with your foot kept in large wooden tubs. The activity is charged at a price of INR 500 pp for a 15 min duration. Trust me, this is actually fun. This will conclude your Sula Vineyard trip. Shop for the wines you liked, or buy some momentos for your loved ones and yourself to keep reminding youself of the beautiful memories you made here. Nevertherless, I would request you guys to spend some time inside the campus itself after wine tasting, as it might make your head a bit heavy. So, its better to spend 1-2 hours in the campus before leaving for your respective destinations. Wishing you a wonderful time and memories at Sula Vineyards. Travel Safe and don't forget to share your beautiful experiences with me 😉. Cheers to the Wonderful Time @ Sula Vineyards..!! 🥂🍷🥂🍷 Signing off till next time Sanchit Goyal Insta ID - sclicks-photography_world

Siddhesh Joshi

82 Followers

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Many a times what we get is a one day leave from our boring routine and daily hustle. But, don't worry, just relax and enjoy this gateway from Mumbai in one day. Yes, you heard it right. These vineyards are one of the most happening places near Mumbai. We were group of 4, all 'suryawanshams' (you better know what do i mean here), left from Thane around 12 o'clock in afternoon. We took the beautiful Mumbai-Nashik Expressway (actually it is beautiful after Kalyan -Bhiwandi crossing). We stopped for lunch at Shree Datta Snacks, Padgha which is 20 minutes from Bhiwandi Kalyan crossing. We had delicious & authentic Maharashtrian food ( Kothimbir wadi, misal paav are must try). After adding the much needed fuel to our body and alsp to our car, we decided to go to Sula vineyards non stop . As it was the starting of July, the monsoon had spread its greenery everywhere. With waterfalls coming alive, Kasara Ghat was in its full glory. Around 3.30 p.m. we reached our destination. What surprised us that there was no entry fee for Sula Vineyards. The cherry on the cake was that there was no charge for parking our car :) . We took the package of Rs. 250/- per person for wine tasting. We enjoyed 5 different wine tastings along with witnessing its making process. We were enlightened about which type of food should be consumed with which type of wine as well. After this wine tasting session, we checked into roof top restaurant of Sula vineyard, ordered a bottle of wine with cheese platter. Enjoyed the music and coziness of rainy evenings (luckily it didn't rain). At around eight o'clock we forced ourselves to go back home. Precaution - make sure that the person who is supposed to drive the, should not drink except wine tasting. Again while coming back, we had sumptuous dinner at Urban Tadka on expressway and right before 12 at night we were home. The details below will summarize the things we did at ultimate costing - Total Distance - 300 kms (to & fro) - Rs. 1500/- petrol (approx. 400 rs. per person) Total time taken to cover above distance - 3 hrs 30 minutes (including 1 lunch/dinner break) each side (approx. Rs. 500 per person) Total toll booths en route - 2 - Rs. 400/- (approx. Rs. 100 per person) Sula Vineyard - tasting package & restaurant bill ( Rs. 250/- per person for tasting + Rs. 600/- per person for restaurant) P.S. - this cost depends on the type of wine you order. Total Expense - approx. Rs. 2100/- per person :) Add-on information- if sula is fully crowded, you can very well visit York, Soma and other vineyards located nearby.

Nandita Pareek

66 Followers

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Some days we wake up to see a happy day and some days we wake up to a gloomy one. Occasionally we wake up to a day when we just want to take a break. A small break between the hush hush of work and mush mush of home. Today is just that day. Although I woke to go to work but the mood of the day betrayed me. The sky from my window looked so serene and my job felt utterly mundane. So I sat down for a while and just let the moment pass. When it did I realised I needed this break. I told my hubby that I need a break and I feel like going for a long drive. I texted a couple of my friends if they wanted to join us. This all started at 10 am and by 12 am we had already hit the road to Nashik. In about 4 hours and a little smooth, a little bumpy and a little hilly drive we were at Sula, gazing at the menu. The drive was a beautiful experience in itself. The road to Nashik does serve you with some traffic but thanks to Google Maps, we can easily find the best and the fastest routes. Although best time to leave is in morning around 6 or 7 AM, even the afternoon is not too hot during monsoon months. The best part is the entire highway serves you "neera" a coastal drink which is essentially the water out of a local fruit called Palmyra. It's sweet and is superb to cut away the heat. Sula as we all know is a winery famous for it's finest collection of wines. I've been here multiple times but I just can't get enough of this place. It's not just about the huge variety of wines served here, it's also about the amazing feel of the place. I can just sit here for hours and do nothing. You just don't drink wine here but enjoy it. They don't serve food here though. Only starters are available, so I honestly feel that is one thing they should start doing. I can keep talkingaboutthe beautiful experience but let's just enjoy some 🍷 and save the rest of the things for the next time. Salut!

Ananya

6 Followers

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Going to Nashik and not being able to visit their famous Sula Vineyards is surely considered to be a misfortune. Therefore, without giving it much thought, Sula was at the top of out bucket list on the things to do in Nashik. Sula is located on Savargaon Road in Nashik and one can use Google Maps to reach there quickly and easily. We visited in December and to our disappointment, there was no harvest during that time. Nevertheless, there was yet so much to do ! We left for Sula at around 10:30AM and reached there at around 11:00PM and believe me, the crowd was much lesser than compared to what it was when we were leaving. Therefore, it is preferable to reach their early so that you get a chance at the several Photo Booths set out before reaching the actual destination. There are wonderful photo booths and props kept on the way ranging from cycle to bottles to carts. Make sure you save space in your hone memory because we surely did exhaust our phone memory considering the amount of pictures we took ! On reaching the registration centre, you have to book a time slot to go for the tour. Since there were no grapes, we could not see the machines in process. However, we received a detailed explanation from the tour guide and we could see the enormous machines and barrels. The tour lasted for about 15 minutes. After the tour, one can go for a wine tasting session, and it is an extra paid service. You are not only taught how to correctly taste the wine but are also offered six different variants to taste ! After that you can proceed to purchase wine but this is one of the hardest parts since one mostly stands confused on which wine to buy but once you are done, you are sorted to enjoy all those parties and weekdays with Sula's finest ! Again, it is a must visit but one should try to make it there when the harvest is available to enjoy a better experience. Sula also offers accommodation which makes it easier for people to visit. It is only 180KM from Mumbai... so, what are you waiting for ?! Get your weekends sorted NOW !