If you around in Mumbai / Pune for a bit , Sula Vineyards is something worth a visit for a short break. I visited the venue with my son and it was worth every moment. We reached a bit earlier hoping to get an early check in but had to wait for a while as the resort was totally full. We used that time and grabbed a quick lunch at Little Italy at Sula. This place has a rustic vibe over it, long bench-sized wooden tables, Sula bottles placed conveniently here and there across the restaurant windows and most noticeable the custom-made bottle chandelier, designed to produce different colours and add charm to the ambiance. I’m always open to trying different takes on classic dishes, so I couldn’t resist ordering my favourite pasta dish, Penne Arrabbiata along with Margarita Pizza. Not a single piece of crust was spared!! Do I need to say more?
Post lunch we spent some time exploring the resort and soon we were put up in a lovely bright and spacious room on the top floor. The room’s high ceiling only added a rural charm to it. The bed was soft and big! The bathroom had a big, high placed, “rain shower”. But the real star was the balcony view. Open the double balcony doors and you’re treated to an amazing view. Beautiful green vineyards followed by greenish hills in horizon. I could not have asked for a better view.
Spa
The resort also features a cute little spa, I opted for full-body massage. The massage was out of this world and felt very unique thanks to their use of local ingredients. I was massaged with ‘Sula Pure Grapeseed Oil’. A 100% natural oil from locally grown premium wine grapes. I was told that beyond the antioxidant benefits you receive by consuming it, it can be used a moisturizer for skin tightening as well as a hair oil. Talk about a super oil! I left the massage feeling relaxed as ever. After the massage it was time for the Wine tasting tour.
The Source at Sula Vineyards – wine tasting tour
Not every wine aficionado can claim that they’ve gone on a wine tasting tour in India. As India’s most prominent wine producer, Sula Vineyards offer their guests a chance to go on an informative tour of their wine production process. The very knowledgeable tour guide explains different steps of the process while walking you through the “factory” and even let you view the barrels where the wine is resting in its last step before hitting the bottles and subsequently your glasses. Like any tour the best is always left for last. As the tour concluded, we were escorted in to the ‘Tasting Room’ where we were greeted by the sommelier who presented us with their most popular wines. So we learned about the whole wine making process and in the end tasted 6 of Sula’s bestselling wines, including the Sula Vineyards ‘Dindori Reserve’, an award-winning Shiraz ranked #25 in the Top 100 Wines of 2014. Although I must admit my personal favourite turned out to be ‘The Source’ wine.
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Dinner at Soma
After chilling for a bit cycling around the resort, we had dinner at the other restaurant called Soma at Sula. Following a full day at The Source enjoying the scenery, walking around the vineyard, taking photos and of course going on a wine tour, we had worked up quite an appetite so we decided on the most filling food in the world, Indian!, and boy did we hog! I enjoyed a heart-warming bowl of soup before the meal, the Subz Malabar Shorba is definitely worth a mention. For starters we shared the Paneer Amritsari Tikka, it was delicious! We also enjoyed the Dum Aloo Banarasi, a classic dish from Varanasi. Alongside the starters we ordered Masala Papad and Bondi Raita which were both good. For Main course I went with the Daal fry and Roti. The Daal fry was impressively flavoursome and was enjoyed by us . I loved how the giant red chilly was still sizzling when it reached our table. After scrutinizing the Main course menu for what seemed like an eternity (let me remind you that I was really hungry!) we decided to order the Subz Biryani and there were no regrets. Perfectly moist and rich on flavour throughout the dish. After a heavy Indian dinner we felt we needed to cleanse our palates before the dessert, but there was no time as the decision was too easy and before we knew it a sizzling brownie with vanilla ice- cream and chocolate sauce was being gobbled down without any guilt.
To conclude… Soma was a perfect ending to a perfect day!
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