When it comes to wine festivals in India, the first name that comes to the mind is SulaFest. I attended the 8th edition of this Gourmet World Music Festival held on 7th & 8th February at the gorgeous Sula Vineyards in Nashik. Little did I know that apart from wine and music, there would be lots more to look out for. Delectable food, wine tastings, live performances, tarot card readings, foot massages, grape stomping and a plethora of fun-filled activities kept the crowd busy for two days while adding to the carnival feel. The open-air Greek style amphitheatre also added to the beauty of the event. For people who could not make it this year, here’s what you missed –

Wine Tasting: Chief Winemaker Ajoy Shaw conducted several wine tastings at The Tasting Cellar where he provided information on different kinds of wines and helped first timers understand wines better. Apart from that, Nick Pringle, Director of Sales (Hardys) conducted a wine and food tasting where people sampled wines from Hardys with food from the popular restaurant, Soleil by La Plage.

Stay: In order to keep up with the festival feel, fest-goers stayed at Tent City, the campsite of Sula Vineyards. Approximately 250 tents were equipped with essentials to make the weekend fun and memorable.

Food: Fest-goers could choose from a variety of restaurants like Soleil by La Plage, Woodside Inn, Cafe Zoe, Busago, B&BBQ, MM Maroosh and more. I tried the Chicken Teriyaki Burger at Woodside Inn and the Chicken Shawarma at MM Maroosh both of which were delicious enough to satisfy my hunger.

Bazaar: Shopaholics had found their spot at the SulaFest Bazaar that not only gave them the opportunity to shop but also gave them the opportunity to relax with a foot massage or indulge in other activities.

Music: As always, Sula lived up to its promise of being a musical extravaganza for music enthusiasts. The headlining act, Young The Giant, had the crowd going crazy over their popular track Cough Syrup and ofcourse their main man, Sameer Gadhia. However, the man who stole the show was none other than Lucky Ali. He sang old favourites like O Sanam, Na Tum Jaano Na Hum, Ek Pal Ka Jeena and others that had the crowd singing with him. His soulful performance made everyone nostalgic and transported them back to the 90’s. Apart from that, the other artists that performed were Gentleman’s Dub Club, Will And The People, Swarathma, Nucleya among others. To sum up the fest in a few words – It was definitely an awesome experience filled with loads of energy. I will surely be going back for more next year.

Photo Credit – Sula Vineyards.