“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”
Paulo Coelho
Four Seasons flew a group of food bloggers down to Pune to experience their winery in Baramati, Western India. With the weather beginning to get warm, the vineyard was at the height of the harvest season, with crushing and fermentation underway. A short flight away from New Delhi, seamless organisation and good communication meant that the experience from word go was good.
Four Seasons produces wines from grapes grown around Sahyadri valley in Maharashtra, India and at its state-of-the-art winery near Baramati, around 65 kms from Pune. The chateau on location boasts 14 rooms, a swimming pool, a spa and a party deck and terrace which can hold a 1000 people for anyone looking for an interesting holiday.
To further their promise of wine tourism, they’ve planned a restaurant offering wine and food pairing, a wine merchandise store, a wine boutique, tasting rooms and of course vineyard trails for wine enthusiasts.
At the beautiful 14 room chateau, we were welcomed with a crisp bubbly from Bouvet-Ladubay. That brought an instant cheer. A quick freshen up and we headed for a wine and food pairing lunch put together by Indian celebrity chef Nilesh Limaye. It was a homey, comforting menu from Maharashtra, well planned and beautifully paired. It was refreshing to note how well the wines paired with regional cuisine.
The menu was paired with their international brand of wine ‘Ritu‘ which means ‘season‘ in sanskrit. Styled to suit the international palette, it captures the colours and moods of each years’ changing seasons. Crafted under the expertise of India’s most experienced wine maker, Abhay Kewadkar, who kept us company throughout the visit. Ritu is an award winning winewhich is beginning to get noticed across the globe.
It’s made from French varieties of grapes grown in valley in Baramati and is currently exported to the UK, France and Japan. Four Seasons does plan to introduce this gourmet wine to the Indian market in the near future. We tested it at over lunch, and it exceeded our expectations, especially the range of premium Barrique reserve wines.
We began lunch with a cooler, Sol Kadhi, a kokum extract laced with mildly spiced coconut milk. It was brilliant. Everyone enjoyed it tremendously, and seconds were asked for! The appetiser, a Spicy Yam {Suranachi kaap} and Crispy fried Bombay Duck {Bombil Rav Fry}, was paired with a Ritu Savignon Blanc 2012.
The main course had king prawns tossed in white and black sesame seeds in a typical Konkani coconut gravy, Tilatli Kolambi. Served over rice, mildly spiced again, it went well with the signature Ritu Viognier 2012.
The stand out pairing was with the main course which offered a beautifully done traditional Nagpur lab curry, Mutton Saoji, the lamb sourced locally. It was well cooked, tender, dropping off the bone, and the spices quite simple. I love the play of regional flavours with wine pairing, a concept which is fast catching the imagination in India. Paired with a ‘Ritu’ Shiraz Barrique Reserve 2010, it was quite interesting!!
Time for dessert and of course we were stuffed, yet a Rice Kheer with a black grape compote, Tandaichi Kheer, couldn’t be missed. It’s wonderful to see how creative Chef Nilesh gets with the local cuisine. Dessert was paired with Ritu Late Harvest Chenin Blanc2012, a dessert wine … deep, fruity and enticing!
It was a packed two days with a tour of the winery, and the impressive facilities at the property. Huge crushers, fermenters, state of the art machinery with a huge capacity and well informed staff, it was a little unreal at times! Led by Abhay, it was an eye opener at each pit stop!
We went from the tank hall to the world class barrel room, saw a interesting cross section of the soil in the valley, then to the fermentation plant. The new oak barriques that allow for a nine month maturation for the wines were beautiful. For a wine virgin like me, it was a steep learning curve, so interesting!
Of course we were on the wings of time, and soon headed for the sunset. A not to be missed affair over the valleys that lay behind the chateau, it was amazing!
A quick shower and it was time for candlelit dinner on the terrace gardens by the pool. A beautiful setting, the barbeque laid out, anti pasti on oak barrels and a Ritu Blush that stayed with us all evening. This Blush is a deeper pink than the traditional French Rose, but I think it offered more character! Pretty!Dinner was however a bit haphazard and the formality of the candle lit dinner got a little lost in the meal courses getting mixed up. The soup arrived somewhere after the main course, the grills a little under spiced, yet the company good! The roof top setting by the poolside with a beautiful summery breeze more than made up for the shortcomings!
It’s a stunning location for the chateau even though it might take a year for the region to develop. Despite hitting the sack well after 1 am, a few of us were up early to catch sunrise! Beautiful as ever, the sun rose over the chateau which faces East. We grabbed a cup of tea and followed a very enthusiastic Abhay for a trek into the valley! A fast paced trot with views of deer now and then, it was a well spent hour. We got back in time for breakfast!!Another good meal with local cuisine like Misal Pav as well as a continental spread on offer. A few adventurous souls had a bubbly. Not me though. It was time for coffee, followed by a quick tour of the bottling and labeling facilities, all state of art stuff.
Next was a trot down to the vineyards around to increase ‘vine and wine’ knowledge at the R & D vineyard that lies in front of the chateau. I did go to Baramati with visions of grape vines hanging heavy with bunches of picturesque grapes, yet that was not to beI
I think I can be forgiven for my ignorance as the harvest season is short and ends just before the heat sets in the plains. With the temperatures touching 30C during the day, there wasn’t a single bunch to be found in the vineyard.
It was a wonderful experience, a steep learning curve, and a hope that I will be able to enjoy wine in a deeper sense in the future. Once the facilities and surroundings around Baramati develop, it’s a wonderful stopover for wine enthusiasts. Thank you Abhay Kewadkar, Anandita, Nilesh and all the staff at the resort that made our stay memorable. Thank you for having us over!
Thank you also Saurish, Pawan, Ekta, Rekha, Sangeeta & Hemant for for your good company!
“No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one.”
Elbert Hubbard
Time to post the second part of what we did when we visited the Oxford of the East and the Queen of the Deccan, Pune. The trip that lasted just 4 days was packed with excitement. As usual there was so much to do, and not enough time, but a trip to strawberry land was firmly in place. Mr PABs nephew took the day off work to drive us up into the hills to one of Maharashtras most popular hill stations, Mahabaleshwar.
I love to refer to this little city located about 3 hours drive from Pune as the strawberry capital of the Deccan. With one of the few evergreen forests of the world, Mahabaleshwar served as the summer capital of Bombay province during the British Raj. The climate of Mahabaleshwar is ideal for strawberries and mulberries, and one can visit strawberry farms to take in the real ambience as well as enjoy fresh flavours of this luscious berry.
A stop by at the charming little town centre, called Malcolm Peth after the then British Governor of Bombay, Sir John Malcolm, offered a deluge of strawberries and mulberries. Ats far as the eye could see, there were hawkers sitting with painstakingly decorated baskets packed with luscious red strawberries. The locals carried on with their daily chores, undeterred and seemingly uninterested in all the hype this luscious fruit carried for us. We had never seen so many in our lives.
The variety that is sold there is the popular one called ‘Sweet Charlie‘ which is as sweet as the name. The berries available at a ridiculously happy price of Rs 40-50 a kilo ($1=Rs42) had me getting boxes packed in no time. 10 kilos later, for family, friends and us, I was a happy bunny, and the hub and nephew kindly lugged my booty back to the car! We then sat back and enjoyed tall glasses of strawberries, fresh cream and ice-cream which is typically on offer at Mahabaleshwar at this time of the year. Later in the season, I believe you can also find ‘Mulberries and Cream’!
Enroute we stopped at a little strawberry farm where we got a chance to see how the strawberries were grown, and saw lines of local women sitting on dhurries sorting out mountains of freshly picked strawberries. We had chilled glasses of fresh strawberry juice which was refreshingly delicious, and also ate mulberries that we plucked off trees. The lad had a field day colouring his tiny hands purple and pink plucking this rather delicicate berry from trees laden with the fruit.
There is not much to do in this little town but we still managed a lot. Shopping for strawberries out of the way, we took the kids down to do a little boating at the Boat Club to Venna Lake. The Venna lake is one of the major tourist attractions of Mahabaleshwar. The lake is surrounded by trees on all sides. A late winter evening boat ride through the slight fog is well appreciated. Tourists can enjoy a boat ride over the lake or a horse ride next to the lake. Make sure you insist that they give everyone life jackets. I had to literally fight for ours, and then found the boat ride a little frightening; was glad to be back on terra firma!
It was time to drive back to Pune, but not without a very interesting stop-over at another popular and scenic hill resort in close vicinity, Panchgani. It bears the Raj stamp all over it, and is famous for its boarding schools, its Parsee bungalows, and some excellent views of the flat surroundings or the ‘Table-Land‘ phenomenon which is breath-taking. We went to Sydney Point which is situated on a small hillock facing the Krishna Valley. Situated around 60 mts high, this flat large expanse of laterite rock is the second longest mountain plateau in asia.
I shall soon begin be posting more about what I made with my stash of strawberries, beginning with this above. ♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥
“Oh, why can’t we break away from all this, just you and I, and lodge with my fleas in the hills? I mean, flee to my lodge in the hills”
S.J. Perelman, Will B. Johnstone, and Arthur Sheekman, Monkey Business
We’re back from a hectic and fun trip to the city of Pune which lies to the West of India, and is often referred to as the culture capital of Maharashtra, the Queen of the Deccan, and the Oxford of the East. The Oxford of the East because of the numerous educational institutions there which draw students from around the world. A beautiful city, pleasant weather and nice folk, polite and chilled to the T, it’s a city that charms you. Pune is known for it’s bakeries like the Kayani Bakery, Baker’s Basket, Budhani Wafers, Dorabjee Bakery and and also the German Bakery. The last one was tragically targeted recently by terrorists who planted a bomb there, and is now shut.
Pune was the largest military base for the British during the Raj and the architecture in the cantonment area is evocative of that era.We stayed over at my SILs near the cantonment area in Pune, and were won over by the architecture which was reminiscent of the bygone colonial British Raj. Pune serves as the headquarters for the Southern Command of the Indian Army, and is also known for the National Defence Academy which is an integrated military training center which provides joint training for cadets of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
We were fortunate enough to do a recce of the National Defence Academy thanks to my BIL. Situated at Khadakvasla, about an hours drive from Pune, the NDA is a prestigious establishment visited by top dignitaries and leaders of the world which include the Shah of Iran, The King of Greece, and the Queen of England amongst others. Official menu cards of meals when the dignitaries were hosted are framed along the walls of the huge dining halls, and were an absolute treat to see.
At the end of the visit we were treated to delicious tall glasses of cold coffee and Shrewbury biscuits, which is often customary for visitors there. The NDA is known for it’s signature cold coffee, and the city of Pune for these Shrewsbury biscuits. These biscuits are possibly the most famous in India, made by artisinal bakeries across the city, and are often referred to as the soul of Pune. The most famous bakery in Pune is the Kayani Bakery which was started by Hormuz and Khodayar Irani in 1955. They had emigrated from Iran before 1947 with a group of people, many of whom settled in Pune and began the business of bakeries.
A visit to the Shinde Chhatri, regarded as one of the finest examples of Rajasthani architecture, is a must if you are in Pune. It is a memorial dedicated to the great warrior Mahadji Shinde, and still sports ancient fan regulators and light switches which transport you to an era gone by. The guide cum keeper is an old man who has been here for the past 13 years, and the entry ticket is for just Rs 2 ($1=Rs44).
Built in 1794, it is situated a few kilometers from the Pune Turf Club, and exudes calm and tranquility.The architecture is absolutely amazing, and has withstood the passage of time beautifully.
It is this exquisite architecture which is the major attraction. The exterior is intricately carved to perfection. The entrance gates are made of iron and look majestic. They lead one down into the annals of history. The hall is spacious with antique lamps, colored glass panes, marble flooring, and stone pillars which transport one to the past. The walls are decorated with beautiful floral designs and carvings which make them look decorative. The windows have a mini balcony, a typical feature of Rajasthani architecture.
While there, we were hosted for lunch by my BIL and SIL at the Pune Turf Club House, also known as the Western India Turf Club. It offers serene colonial splendour in ever step … from the well looked after chandeliers, the wooden panelleing, the cane furniture, the long cool corridors, to the liveried waiters! The menu is reflective of the influence the British Raj had on the cuisine and culture of this city. We had roasted chicken, steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes, and the kids had fish and chips. The ambience left a lilting feeling in the heart and soul!
… To make our trip complete, my nephew drove us to Mahabaleshwar, one of the most popular hill stations in Maharashtra. I will cover that in a later post.
