6 steps to prepare white wine

While sipping wine, have you ever wondered as to how it is made? Of course, it is a fermented grape juice, but what does that mean and what choices are made along the way?

Here are the 6 important steps of white wine preparation:

1)    Grape Harvesting:
The time of grape harvesting is determined by balance between acidity and sugar levels.This is the most crucial phase in the process of white wine preparation. Usually, the grape harvesting season in India is from February to April. 

2)    De-stemming, crushing, draining the juice and pressing:
Once the grapes are sorted, they are de-stemmed and gently crushed just enough to break open the skins. Crushing enables the wine-maker to extract more juice from the berry during subsequent pressing.

3)    Settling of the juice:
The cold juice which is obtained after pressing is allowed to settle in a container.

4)    Fermentation:
Though some yeast is present on the grapes, activated yeast is added to the fresh grape juice which then sets the pace for the alcoholic fermentation. The sugar present in the grape juice is broken down by the yeast; the by-products of this process are carbon-dioxide and alcohol.  The entire process takes about 21-24 days and this process is carried out at low temperatures.
   
5)    Racking:
Racking means removing the wine from one tank and pouring it intoanother, so that it stabilises.

6)    Filtering and Bottling:
Filtering purifies the wine by removing the unwanted elements in it. The major considerations in the bottling step are the type of bottle to be used, type of closure and whether to use gas or not. White wines are usually contained in dark coloured bottles.

If you are a wine lover, you can go on wine tasting tours in the wineries in Nashik and famous beyond vineyard resorts in the city such as Soma Vine Village.

9 styles of wine

Most of the people are keen to taste the delicious sips of wine. If you are amongst those wine lovers, take a look at the 9 styles of wine as given below:

1)    Sparkling wine:
This type of wine originated in France.These are amongst the most time-intensive wines that are prepared in the world.

2)    Light bodied white wine:
These are the easy to drink wines that are sold on a very large scale in the world. Their taste is similar to Beer. These wines are best suited for savoury lovers. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Grunner are the types of wines that fit in to the category of light bodied white wine.

3)    Full bodied white wine:
Full bodied white wines are a perfect match for those who like red wine. As people happen to gulp down the sips of this wine, they get a refreshing feel of the creamy taste. What distinguishes them from light wines is the special wine-making techniques like Oak-aging.

4)    Aromatic white wine:
Aromatic wines have got a nice flavour of sweetness. These wines have got perfumed aromas that you can smell. Aromatic grapes are the oldest wine varieties in the world. These types of wines are available in the market at affordable rates.

5)    Rose wine:
Rose wine is popularly referred to as ‘wine producer’s wine.’ It is prepared by using the skins of red wine grapes. Now-a-days, you can find rose wines of all the types like cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.

6)    Light bodied red wine:
Light bodied red wines contain the preservative of tannin, which has got an astringent taste. This taste dries your mouth and hence, red wines are preferred over these types of wine at most of the places in the world.

7)     Medium bodied red wine:
Medium bodied red wines are like foodie wines. They offer varioustypes of flavour with a proper balance of acids. This category of wines can serve to be a perfect mid-week wine for the red wine lovers.
 

8)    Full bodied red wines:
Full bodied red wines are amongst the darkest and tannic of all the red wines in the world. They are quite pleasing and are referred to as cocktail wines.

9)    Dessert Wines: 
Dessert wines are amongst the boldest, intensively flavoured wines in the world.
Soma Vine Village is a Nashik Vineyard Resort and a famous vineyard in Nashik, where you would get to taste several categories of wine as mentioned above.

After having a glimpse of the 9 top notch styles of wines, you can satiate your taste buds!

Wine dine speciality of Soma Vine Village at Nashik

The well-known wine capital of India ‘Nashik,’ has become a trendsetting and a fabulous destination for tasting wine. 

In India, a majority produce of wine comes from Nashik. The city’s climate is conducive to the growth of wine grapes, which is the thing that Nashik Vineyards are famous for.At times, grapes are cultivated extensively for maturing the wine effectively. Wineis something, which tastes better as it grows older. This is the reason why grapes are cultivated for a longer period of time and wine bottles are kept in the refrigerators.
The tourists, who are in the hunt of a perfect weekend destination and want to drink the tasty sips of wine, can make plans to visit Soma Vine Village in Nashik, located at the backwaters of Gangapur dam. You enjoy a supreme wine-dine experience over here in the presence of lush green natural beauty. There are many wineries in Nashik out of which Soma is one of the best, wherein people can enjoy the privilege of consuming wine in the presence of scenic natural beauty.  

Fantastic wine dine experience is a speciality of Soma Vine Village. The boutique property hosts two villas, a winery and a multi-cuisine restaurant, where you can enjoy sumptuous meals. There is a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in these restaurants. Winery is located behind the restaurant’s premise and you can come here to taste the delicious sips of wine. So, you will have lifetime wine-dine reminiscence.  

Stylish villas would fulfil your dreams of a luxury oriented living. If you pay a royal visit to the villas, you will get a golden opportunity to make a nice halt amongst the alluring vineyards with world class luxuries and amenities. You will definitely fall in love with the overall elegance and beauty offered by the villas. 

So, plan and visit such a scenic property in Nashik for sipping the delicious wine and satiating your taste buds!

Confused between table grapes and wine grapes?

Here is everything you need to know about the difference between the two!

You may have often come across the two types of grapes,namely, table grapes and the wine grapes. However, there are many more differences between the two types excluding the difference in colour of these grapes. 

If you are a wine lover, you must know what are table grapes vis-à-vis wine grapes from a pragmatic perspective. Although both of these grapes belong to the same genus (vitis), they exhibit distinct characteristics. Here are the key points of differentiation between these two categories of grapes:

1)    Sweetness:
Wine grapes are sweeter than table grapes. The standard table grapes, meant for eating and consumption hold a brix level of 18-20 Brix, whereas wine grapes have got a brix level of around 25 Brix at the time of harvest. Brix is the scale, which is used to measure the percentage of sugar in a liquid such as wine prepared from grapes. Use of sugar during fermentation increases the sweetness of wine grapes as sugar is necessary for this process.

2)    Skin’s Thickness :
Table grapes are not as fat and plumb as wine grapes. Skin of table grapes is thinner, if compared to that of wine grapes.  The thick skins, possessed by wine grapes enable to instil a tasty flavour in the wine.

3)    Seeds and Juice:
Wine grapes are filled with seeds unlike table grapes. The size of seeds inside wine grapes is bigger, that takes up a huge part of the fruit. When you happen to take a bite of wine grapes, they will open up leaving a big, hard seed.  Wine grapes have got higher amount juice content than the table grapes.

4)    Exposure to the Sun:
Wine grapes get more exposure to the sun than table grapes. At the time of growing, the T-shape of wine grapes enables them to be exposed to direct sunlight. Table grapes get hanged under the vines which allows less sunlight to fall directly on the table grape vines. However, as they do not rub against each other, the amount of fruit they can produce is higher than that of vines of wine grapes.

5)    Containment and Transport:
Wine grapes are delicate than table grapes. Thus, it is difficult to contain and transport wine grapes if compared to the table grapes. Thus, most of the times wine grapes are packed properly so as to contain them effectively.

Soma Vine Village is an incredible wine resort in Nashik and owns a fabulous weekend resort i.e. Beyond resort in Nashik, for the tourists wherein they can enjoy their vacation along with some fine dine experience with glasses of wines complementing the food.

So, after having a peek through the above points of differentiation between wine grapes and table grapes, aren’t you excited to taste wine in Nashik?

Soma’s Beyond Vineyard Resort– A wine resort to look for holidays in Nashik

Holidaying in Nashik was never an experience a few years back as compared to what Nashik offers in today’s time! Exotic locations and pleasant environs of the city have never failed to impress any of us. 

Beyond Vineyard Resort by Soma is an excellent setting for a peaceful and relaxing weekend or holiday! Well, you must be wondering, what is so special about this resort. So, if you love taking a dip in the swimming pool, or would be ready to enjoy a bicycle ride on the rugged country roads, or just to feel the surroundings at peace in your private balcony/sit out, or may be enjoy the scenic beauty of the hills… you name it, and it has everything for your perfect holiday at Beyond Vineyard Resort!

For the ones who often fall for wines, Soma Vine Village offers some of the best wines in India and a fine combination of food with best dessert wines to make your evenings the kind of special you desire! 

Be it a peaceful ambience or those energizing moments in the amphitheatre with groovy music doing the rounds, Beyond Vineyard Resort along with Soma Vine Village make it a perfect combination to create that perfect experience for all its guests and visitors. 

Some of the salient features that will enhance your stay here are:

Café Rose
 A flawless all-day dining restaurant for a sprawling stay with a wide and varied variety of A la Carte dishes with a mix of healthy and nutritious ingredients from the local produce.

White Room
 If corporate meetings are scheduled, a well equipped conference hall with the state-of-art audio visual equipments frame the best setting for such meetings and a lot more like corporate get-togethers.

Gymnasium 

Why to compromise on health on a holiday?  Treat yourself with the best of equipments for a healthy workout and refreshing time in a well-equipped gymnasium overlooking the infinity pool, vineyards and the lake, of course! 

Spa
The most rejuvenating segment of the resort is the Spa! We call it a perfect accompaniment to the resort with modern massage rooms to pamper your body and mind. 

Other than these, not to forget the sprawling & beautiful wine dining moment that you can experience at Soma Vine Village sipping those best dessert wines that make some of the best wines in India.

9 Awesome reasons to plan your weddings in a vineyard!

Planning to tie the knot this spring? How about having your wedding planned in a vineyard in the wine capital of India? 

We bring you 9 bang on reasons to plan your wedding amidst picturesque environs at Soma Vine Village:

1)    Charming beauty: The first and foremost reason is quite obvious. If you have a glimpse at the vineyards, you will find that the scenic beauty is breath-taking. Vineyards have a combination of lush green vines, rolling hills, mountains and beautiful architecture at the backdrop. You will enjoy taking photographs and getting themed wedding photographs.

2)    Delicious Drink at the original place: If you’re having your wedding at a winery, you’re going to enjoy the delicacy of wine. Most estate venues require you to serve their house wines, but you would always get more pleasure of drinking fine wine at the place, where it is grown.

3)    Everything at a single place: Now-a-days, most of the couples prefer the convenience of a venue that offers everything at a single place. This is exactly what a majority of wine farms have got to offer. So, there is no need s such to keep on wandering here and there for getting things.

4)    Indoor and Outdoor Options: You can enjoy wedding party inside a shade as well as outside in the presence of fresh air, clean and green atmosphere. If the sun is shining your outdoor ceremony would be glorious.

5)    Rustic meets elegance: Wineland venues quench the thirst of wine lovers and add to the tastes of many modern couples. Wine farms, unlike other farms have got the undeniable elegance and chic.

6)    Fabulous Destination: Weekend wedding destinations are more popular in these days. Wine yards are absolutely perfect if you have anything about a wedding destination active on your minds. 

7)    Accommodation: Accommodation in and around the winelands is plentiful and abundant, which makes it a pleasure for you, whatever your budget may be. Most of the venues will have enough accommodation on the wine farm itself for the bridal party.

8)    Returns on Anniversaries: Wineries are the great venues for returning in the years to come. Wedding memories, that are left behind in the wineries can be celebrated time and again.

9)    Amazing Ambience: After all, vineyard wedding has got a pleasant and cheerful vibe. You can get the feeling of an amazing ambience in the vineyards to add to your memories for a lifetime!

Ultimately, you would enjoy a miscellaneous combination of romance, serenity, relaxation and sophistication in a vineyard. So, why wait? Just pay a royal visit to Soma vineyard and get going with your wedding plans here!  Know more about Soma vineyard here.

Do you know the qualitative evaluations that growers and winemakers make? Read More to know!

Most of us are wine lovers and love trying tasting wine whenever given an opportunity! However, there is a lot more than what we usually know about the wines and grapes grown for production of wines. Hence, here we bring you some of the qualitative evaluations that growers and winemakers maker before production of wine! 

According to the experts, there are various aspects of grape maturity which decide the best time to harvest wine grapes. These could be quantitative and determined based on the degree of accuracy from low to high, while some others can be qualitative which can be more subjective. There is also a wide variance of maturity time from one type to another. Nashik is also referred to as the wine capital of India. Thus there are many wine resorts in Nashik. As the city of Nashik is closer to Mumbai, this city has also provided weekend gateways near Mumbai.

A question might strike your mind, as to how the grape growers know the perfect time of wine harvesting.The best wine growers know much more about the ripeness of wine grapes. They frequently taste the wine grapes and very well know, as to when to pluck them for wine preparation. Following are some of the Qualitative evaluations, made by growers and winemakers:

Soft Berries –

At the initial level of evaluating soft berries, the state of berries is identified as berries dehydrate slightly, and the texture of the pulp softens as the grapes ripen with time. After the grapes are fully ripe, upon squeezing, the berries turn less firm and the skin becomes a little soft but not wrinkled like a raisin. 

Red Fruit Flavours –

Raw and under ripe grapes often have a herbaceous smell and taste like asparagus.Ripe grapes have less of such a herbaceous character, more plum and cherry like characteristics. 

Brown Seeds –

The colour of grape seeds changes from green to brown as the berries ripen. In most varieties, the pointed ends of the seeds (the “beaks”) are the last parts to turn brown. According to many experts, 80 – 90% of the seeds should be brown before harvest.

A Clean Stem –

When the grapes are fully ripe, the stem can be pulled off the berry easily. Afterwards, little or no pulp or skin tissue will be attached to the stem.

Ideally speaking, sugar content is the primary indicator of grape ripeness. Many growers and winemakers do rely on sugar readings to decide when the grapes are ripe.

You might have got an idea, as to the processing and harvesting of wine. Ultimately, you can rock on with the delicacies of wine.

It’s Vine Harvesting Time!

In the process of wine preparation as a whole, many crucial phases are involved. Vine Harvesting is amongst the very important processes in the preparation of wine. The city of Nashik, which is referred to as the Wine Capital of India has got a lot of vine harvesting tracks. There are many Vineyards in Nashik,wherein wine grapes are harvested. Thus, there are many holiday resorts near Nashik that quench the thirst of wine lovers.

Soma Vine Village is a beautiful wine resort in the city of Nashik that offers quality wine for the wine lovers. If you visit this resort, this would turn out to be your memorable Nashik Vineyards Stay.

You must be wondering about how vines are harvested. And, since it is vine harvesting time, given below are some of the pointers that can help you understand the procedure of vine harvesting:-

1)    Keep birds and animals away from the vineyard premise:-
You can put a net on the vineyard, but at the same time ensure that the bottom flaps are tied up with ropes or similar material. This will help in avoiding birds from entering the
vineyard, feeding on and piercing the grapes.

2)    Reduce the crop yield:-
Put some limitations on the growth of crops in and around the vineyard. Growing too much crops in the vineyard can affect the quality of wine grapes.

3)    Measure ripeness of the grapes:-
You need to consistently keep on measuring the ripeness of wine grapes. This would be useful in checking the quality of grapes on a regular basis.

4)    Achieve balance between sugar and  acids:-
Sugar and acids need to have a balanced proportion at the time of vine harvesting. Even a minute error at this point can affect the taste of wine.

5)    Harvest at the right point of time:-
You need to harvest properly and well in time. Vine harvesting should be done in the season of harvesting that falls between February and April.

So, when are you planning to visit Soma Vineyard for more insights on vine harvesting?

Plan a trip today!

Grape Stomping Sessions & their purpose!

Harvesting of wine grapes is one of the most crucial steps in the wine-making process. Grape-stomping, also referred to as pigeage, is a part of the method of maceration that is used in the traditional winemaking.

Basically, maceration is softening or squeezing grapes into pieces using a liquid. Raw or dried grapes are soaked in a liquid to soften them so that the skin of the grapes can be easily peeled away, leaving behind the pulp and seed. 

Grape stomping is a popular traditional method of separating the grape skin, seed and pulp wherein grapes are crushed by feet in vats which help in releasing the juices and prepare them for the process of fermentation. The harvest season takes place from January till the end of March in India. 

Speaking of grape stomping activities and sessions at Soma Vine Village, here is why visiting us during the harvest season could be your best decision!

a.    The weather is at its best!
b.    The grapes are ripe; probably the best you will get to see
c.    It’s all bustling with various activities

If you loved our Sauvignon Blanc & Chenin Blanc dessert wines, you must know that they find their best grapes during the harvest season in February & March. 

However, for more insights on the types of wines and the best times of the year for harvesting grapes for each type.Refer the image below!

SOMA Wines Win Gold & Silver at 4th Indian Wine Consumer's Choice Awards 2016

Yet another news to rejoice in 2016!

Soma's Brut Cuvee 2014 and Sauvignon Blanc Gold 2014 have won the 4th Indian Wine Consumer's Choice Awards (IWCCA) 2016 held at Jyran, Sofitel Hotel.

The wines were judged and scored by a panel of consumers without knowing their brand names or price, thereby creating an independent list of India's best wines chosen by consumers themselves.

IWCCA aims at giving the Indian consumers an opportunity to judge for themselves and on behalf of other consumers the best Indian Wines available in the country. This annual accreditation opens the doors for consumers to acknowledge and celebrate new vintages and new wines launched in the market and also provide insights to wineries about what the burgeoning Indian market is inclined towards.

The process of judging a wine is simple. The consumers taste the wines blind, is ensured that he/she is unaware of the brand name or price, thus allowing an unbiased judgment which is solely based on the quality of the wine itself. The only information shared with the consumers is the grape varietal which they judge on the basis of its aroma, color and palate. The winners of each category of the competition are announced through the All Things Nice website and other media channels. Winners are accredited with IWCCA Gold, Silver and Bronze certifications and IWCCA medals.

Dance to the tunes of Music as you shake a leg during Grape Stomping Session at Soma Vine Village

Grape Stomping or commonly referred to as Stomp Dance at Soma Vine Village was no less than a fabulous Tiny Fest this year! Having guests to attend this stomp dance session that was organized on 24th January 2016 and dancing to the beats of the loud music in our amphitheater, was an activity full of fun!

With the harvest season going on, it is difficult to say NO to the stomping session at the Soma Vine Village! In earlier times, stomping was traditionally practiced as a technique because the human feet have just enough pressure to  break the skin of grapes without breaking the seeds because the broken seeds add to the bitter taste of the wine. However, the stomping activity, in the contemporary world, has a more fun oriented element attached to it. 

“Stomp dance” as we named it, makes it a memorable experience for the visitors and guests to be a part of the stomping session during harvest season at Soma Vine Village.

The Stomp Dance session conducted at the Soma Vine Village on 24th January 2016 saw participation from many guests between 11.30 am – 6.30 pm. Here are some pictures of our guests who made the best of the session and had the time of their lives stomping grapes and shake a leg.

We Plan to organize such exciting, fun-filled Stomp dance sessions in the coming weekends as well, as we believe, limiting the best times to enjoy at Soma Vine Village will be unfair to the ones who could not make it to the Stomp dance Session organized in January.

So, the ones who missed the opportunity on 24th January 2016 must get set for our upcoming Stomping session on 6th & 7th February 2016.  And if you missed it too, mark your presence this time!