Today we will continue with the journey to the vineyard in Baramati. Honestly if ever you get the chance to visit that place grab it with both hands 🙂 The beauty of the place is only topped by the hospitality of the people and of course the amazing wine. It is supposed the country’s only 7 star winery/ resort. They have everything one could want in a luxury vacation…a pool with a jacuzzi, spacious rooms, complete peace and quite and a spa with vino therapies (upcoming). What was best was that we got to try out the Ritu range of wines from the brand which is something that they export. They are planning to bring it to the Indian market too and its something that you must try if you get the chance as it is sublime.
As I mentioned earlier we were taken through a tour of the facility where the entire process was explained to us. We saw the grapes were sorted by workers before they went into a crushing machine. Huge pipes then took this pulp into a huge drum like machine which filtered out the pulp and the liquid. The pipes then went all the way to another room which had these huge containers which stored the liquid. We got to try some fresh grape juice and it was the most amazing thing ever. Honestly I have never tasted juice like that…heavenly! We then tasted some fermented juice which was a little icky 😛
Our trip took us to the barrel room next where the wines are stored in huge oak barrel so that they can mature and can acquire their earthy taste. We got to taste some of the different varieties of wines present there. Lol! we went a little crazy in there and encouraged by the team thoroughly took advantage of the situation 😀 Not to mention the photo session that went on…Finally when we got out of the room we were shown the labeling setup. Adu, the brand manager, took us to the storage unit where stack after stack of wine bottles were waiting to be boxed and transported.
And you would think that the wine ended there….wrong 😀 We made out way to the conference room where we got to try out the different varieties of the Four Seasons wines. Mr. Bala taught us the intricacies of the wine appreciation process – swirl, smell and sip. He even explained why each step was important and how to make out the quality of the wine. Each wine we tasted had its special flavor and was meant to be paired with specific food items. We took a short break where we all enjoyed a photo shoot session on the grand staircase…After a short interlude we were taken to the restaurant where a special meal was served to us by award winning Chef Hitesh. There was a four course meal planned for us and it was too good for words! We were served wine again to go with each course. The chef had designed the menu so that it would complement the accompanying wine in the best possible way. I have never had such amazing and so much food in my life.
All of us were stuffed and quite tuckered out so we took a short nap to recharge our batteries. We had been promised an amazing evening ahead and given the experience so far we were quite looking forward to it. After a short refreshing nap I spotted Shayoni and Swarnali making their way to the pool and decided to join them. The sun was setting over the horizon and the sky had turned was filled with rich shades of pinks. We lounged and enjoyed the beautiful view for sometime, already feeling a little sad that we would have to leave it all behind the next day and go back to “normal” life. While the staff rushed around us setting up for the barbecue we were asked to make our way to the restaurant to enjoy some tea/coffee. Chef was sweet enough to include some savory snacks for us to munch on. Some of us enjoyed a nice cuppa while we sat in the balcony.
Bloggers from Bangalore, Lakshmi (Ginger Chai) and Shiju (Cranium Bolts) along with Malvika from the Ginger claps team had joined us during lunch time. We got to interact with them over a nice cup of tea and it was quite fun. As the conversation flowed, Mr. Bala insisted that we try out the Ritu Blush which was a sparkling wine. This was my absolute favorite from the lot as it had a lovely sweet taste to it. We were asked to move on to the pool area and we all shared the loungers there when the conversation shifted to 90’s music. Everyone reminisced about there favorite tunes from the era. The chef soon called us for the barbecue and what a spread it was….fresh fruit, an assortment of cheeses, different types of bread were served to us while the main course was getting prepped over the coals.
Adu surprised us by bringing in some musicians all the way from Mumbai. A duo came on and set up their key board and cello. Once they started playing….oh my! The atmosphere changed completely! Such beautiful haunting music. It seemed as if the girl was teasing the man and he was answering back in a manner which spoke about his love for her. You could feel the depth in it….even as I’m writing this I can feel goosebumps on my skin. It was amazing! A starlit night, candle light dinner and this soul enriching music. Mixed in together with the headiness of the wine which flowed freely. We were filled…with the amazing food, soulful music and lovely surroundings. Really none of us wanted the night to end…
Such a perfect end to a perfect event. We made our way to the rooms and with a heavy heart realized that it had come to an end. There was an early morning flight back and we needed to get up pretty early to catch it. As you can imagine, it was quite a subdued ride back to the city…whatever we had thought or imagined for this trip…what we got to experience was above and beyond what any of us expected. The people, their hospitality and the attention to details made this a truly memorable trip for us. There wasn’t one thing that we wished had happened differently.
I know I am repeating myself but I truly am very grateful that I got to experience it. Being in the company of good friends took it to a whole new level. In the end, I walked away with the most important lesson….take a chance on life! You never know where that turn in the road will take you. True it could have been disastrous. But giving into that fear prevents you from experiencing some of the best things that life has to offer. This will be my mantra for 2014 and I cant wait to see what I get t experience next 🙂 Cheers my sweets!