Sara Pink from the British High Commission, Delhi, may be the only foreign tourist to have visited the Nashik vineyards after the Covid lockdown. Pleasantly surprised at the quality of wines available in this small town, she has promised to introduce Indian wines to the British and to persuade British tourists to visit the vineyards of Nashik as she returns home after a long mission to India.

While foreign tourists may take some time to start visiting Nashik wineries, tourists from Pune, Mumbai, and Gujarat have already started to crowd Nashik wineries again.

Attendance has been encouraging, with more than 1,000 tourists visiting the wineries on weekdays and more than 3,000 tourists trying the wines on weekends, Jagdish Holkar, president of the All India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA) told FE. . “People want to come out into the open after being confined to their homes for over a year and a half. There is no better way to enjoy the freedom of being in the open air than to be in the vineyards, ”he said.

Nashik wineries have been closed for most of the time the restrictions were in place and are now looking forward to a great holiday season ahead. Hotels, small resorts and resorts on vineyards report over 98% occupancy during the week and 100% occupancy at weekends.

Monit Dhavale, senior vice president (hospitality) of Sula Vineyards, said wine tourism in Nashik has accelerated as people seek to relax after a long period of restrictions. “After the second wave our resort reported over 90% occupancy on average and on weekends 100% occupancy,” he said.

Tourists mainly come from Mumbai, Pune, Surat, and Indore, all located a four-hour drive from Nashik. Sula has a wine tasting room, villas and a resort, while the neighboring York Wines has a tasting room and a resort. Grover Zampa and Soma are other wineries with tasting rooms. Vineyards like Vallonnie, Renaissance and Good Drops also attract tourists in large numbers. Nashik has 48 licensed wineries and approximately 35 of them are operational.

Ashwin Rodrigues of Good Drop Wine Cellars says wineries have gone through tough times and are now having a good season with the return of tourists. His cellar recently launched the Italian Frizzano collection made up of a variety of wines. “There have been very few launches and the wineries are focusing on consolidating the activity. There is a long way to go, ”he added, however.

Yatin Patil, former president of AIWPA, said the business of long-stay tourists was encouraging. Since working from home is still encouraged and schooling is still online, many families preferred to spend long periods in town among the vineyards, he said. Holkar has ambitious plans for the cellars. The association plans to hold the Harvest Festival in 20 cities at the same time later this year so that more cities are aware of the wines produced in Nashik. If it works, we could also see more tourists from other states, he said.