The Wine Club

It all began with an innocent question – Is it going to be the hills or the ocean this holiday season – a friend asked. And it invoked in me the innate quality of nonconformity. So the spouse was delegated to come up with something out-of-the-box. Now his idea of a perfect get-away is always a relaxing put-your-feet-up kind. Of course accompanied by good food and fermented grapes. No wonder he came up with the idea of touring wineries. And he started spinning a dreamy picture of the Cyprus lined sylvan greens of Tuscan Bolgheri wine area, of the little towns perched on cliffs by the Mediterranean Sea. Lure me with tales about formal wine and dine experiences at estates of France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, UK and Austria. Make the offer more palatable to me with pictures of wine and cheese picnic lunches at vineyards of New Zealand. He wanted to relive our experience at the Napa-Sonoma vineyards of California. Only this time it’d be much closer to home. We decided to go for ‘vineyard-hopping’ in the Nashik and Nandi hills regions. And since we wanted someone else to do all the leg-work, leaving to us all the relaxation part, we decided to book a package tour! With wine gurus explaining intricacies of wine, luxurious accommodation, interactive games and quizzes during the trip, the tour sounded pretty exciting to us. We know from our prior experience that such tours go beyond just wine tasting. It takes command of all your senses – sight, smell, taste. And Indian wineries now offer patrons to indulge in style. Be it the Sula, York or Zampa wineries in Nashik region, or Chateau Indage Vineyards near Pune, or Grover Vineyards in Bangalore, you will always enjoy what wine tours offer. Best part of it is that from meals to vineyard trip to wine tasting to some hands on experience in the vinery, all will be taken care of in the package. And you can just relax and enjoy the experience. As you get back to your routine, I’m sure you’d give a shout out for those who have not experienced Winery tour -- "Come quickly! I am tasting stars!" (Dom Perignon)