So what do you do if you’re a microbiologist in the Antarctic and need something to do in the off-season? Start a winery of course and in India no less! To be fair, Ashok Surwade is Indian and from the Nashik Valley so it might not be such a huge leap of faith but still – he was an Antarctic researcher before chucking...
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The Nashik Valley is known as India’s Napa Valley so it stands to reason that there would also be a wine trail. While the wine trail is still quite small, only 3 wineries at the moment (Sula, York and Soma) what it lacks in size, it certainly makes up with in the quality of the wines and the winery resorts. I popped into Soma...
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Last week I went to the launch of Pop Up Japan at Proud East. Proud East is perched on the towpath of Regent’s Canal in Dalston and is really such a lovely location. I love walking along the path, especially at sunset… I was there for the the Japan pop up but Proud East is a pretty neat concept being a half indoors/half...
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Most people consider champagne as a celebratory drink and only pop it open on special occasions. I, however, consider champange to be a wine just like any other, albeit with bubbles and it should be drunk with food accordingly. The folks at Champagne + Fromage are also firm believers in pairing champagne with food and in particular...
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One afternoon my wine guide, Manoj, called and said today we are going to the eastern part of the Nashik Valley to visit Reveilo Winery. Up until now, we had focused on the western and northern parts of the Nashik so I was curious to see what differences there would be in the wines, if any. Reveilo certainly was different, the...
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York Winery is situated on the banks of the Godavari River, which makes for a lovely view from the tasting room. Grapes always pick good locations with fantastic views, funny that, anyway… York Winery, while it may have lovely views is most probably better known for its wines. They specialize in white and sparkling wine but...
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Before I came to India I, like many people, had preconceptions and misconceptions about Indian wine. I love bubbly so the idea of Indian sparkling wine definitely did intrigue me. The Nashik Valley is developing a reputation for sparkling wine production and that reputation now seems sealed with the entry of one of the...
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Right before I left Goa I was looking for someplace to eat off the beach and stumbled across a restaurant called La La Land not far from Neptune Point – how could I resist? Plus it was a very nice set up with a lovely courtyard and a reasonable menu. I was feeling adventurous so I ordered hummous and a glass of Chenin Blanc....
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Vallone Vineyards is one of India’s first boutique wineries and was started in 2009 by Indian wine industry veteran, Shailedra Pai. His aim was to produce French style wines in the Nashik Valley. Vallone is a neighbour of Grover Zampa, who I wrote about here, and they share similar terroir. Like most other vineyards in the...
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While I was at Grover Zampa, I also got the opportunity to try their sparkling wine. Having spoken to quite a few producers now, the consensus is that sparkling wine definitely has a place here in the Nasik Valley. However, apart from Chandon (more on them later), the grape of choice for sparking NV is Chenin Blanc and for rosé,...
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