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!

Ever tried these different styles of dessert wines?

Dessert Wines! The much loved wines for making desserts!

Dessert wines are just prefect to match up to the awesome tastes of your favourite desserts, but, what when it comes to the people who would not prefer to go ahead with a heavy sweet dish, but, still want a nice treat at the end of the meal? In such cases it becomes important to know about different styles of wines you can try even when you would want to skip the dessert.

So, There are basically 4 different styles of Dessert wines, namely:

1. Late Harvest
2. Noble Rot
3. Ice Wine
4. Dried Grape

The basic concept of late harvest dessert wines lies in leaving the grapes to dry out and increase in sweetness. There are many styles of late harvest wines as well out of which there are several varieties that are often more preferred over the others. Within this category of late harvest style there are several wine making procedures and techniques that contribute in making a wide variety of late harvest wines that result in different tasting wines.

Late Harvest

In this, the basic process is done wherein the grapes are left on the vine and are picked later in the season. Thus, the name is late harvest.

Noble Rot

It is a process in which a special kind of fungus develops on grapes in foggy regions. This fungus results in increase in the sweetness of grapes with notes of saffron, honey and ginger.

Dried Grape

Dried grape wines have numerous different methods and styles and this style is particularly famous in Italy, where the grapes are harvested and dried by laying them on mats in drying rooms before they are processed into wines.

Ice Wine

Ice wines are made with the grapes that are allowed to freeze on the vine and picked and pressed to release only the sugars from the grape, leading the wine to be sweet in taste.

However, given all these styles of dessert wines, the combinations of trying a dessert wine with a dessert are not just limited to desserts, but, due to their remarkable features, the possibilities of the trying dessert wines are endless.

At Soma Vine Village, there are two awesome dessert wines you can give a try namely, Sauvignon Blanc Dessert and Chenin Blanc Dessert that complement a wide variety of desserts, a majority of which you can try with a combination of one of these wines.

 

If you are a wine lover, you must try these different styles of dessert wines for the love of wine.

How can you judge Wine by its color?

 Here is a quick guide to understanding the Wine attributes by judging the color of Wine.

RED WINES

• When the wine is light bodied or has a transparent red color, there is a wide watery rim on the top layer of wine in the glass. The light-bodied red wines tend to have low tannin and high acidity. 
• A medium bodied red wine tends to have moderate tannin and medium acidity. This can be identified when the red wine has a semi-transparent, opaque core and medium rim width.
• A full-bodied red wine tends to have high tannin and low acidity. The red wine with opaque color and thick rim width falls into this category. 

WHITE WINES

• White wines with pale yellow-green-silver glow, also called light bodied white wines, tend to have high acidity and are best enjoyed ice-cold.
• White wines with pale gold-platinum glow, also called medium bodied white wines, tend to have moderate acidity and most of the white wines fall into this category.
• Full bodied white wines tend to have low acidity and rich creamy food compliments them. These can be identified with the rich yellow-copper glow of white wine. 

So, the next time you try a white wine or a red wine, you can judge the acidity and tannin present in it by looking at the color of the wine.

You can try wines at Soma Vine Village and share your wine tasting experience with us. Also, don’t forget to let us know if you could judge the wine by its color at Soma Vine Village.