Mythologically, we have known this city as Mone of the holiest places in India as it hosts the great Indian religious fair 'Kumbh' once in every 12 years and one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas' of lord Shiva rests here. The name is Nashik and no prize for guessing the connection with the great Indian epic Ramayana. Lord Rama is believed to have spent 14 years of his exile near the holy city of Nashik. The name Nashik itself has originated from the story of Lord Laxman, Rama's brother's cutting off the nose (nasika in Sanskrit) of Surpanakha, the demoness. However, the city has quite a contrary connection as well. Today, talk about Nashik and most of the Indians will swear by its growing status as the country's sole 'Big Scale Wine Producing City' and hence, the connotation-Nashik, the Wine Capital of India.

Thanks to Maharashtra Government's 'Grape Processing Industrial Policy' announced in 2001, the place is basking in its new found interest in liquor business and the purpose of our visit was to evaluate this different facet of Nashik. We had our reasons because; this growing wine processing industry has some connection with tourism as well. Widely considered as the Napa Valley (top wine producing regions in the USA) of India, Nashik has a huge potential of attracting interested tourists to explore the art of wine processing and wine retreats. The history of Nashik as a winery hub began with Sankalp Vineyards, the first of its kind in the country and Sula Vineyards later joined hands in exploring the possibilities to woo the wine consuming population of India.

Beyond the 'ambrosia in bottles' for which Nashik has made quite a name, the vineyards and fruit orchards in the region are truly something to explore. Tucked in the Western Ghats of the Deccan Peninsula, Nashik, in general, is a picturesque valley and no wonder; we were blown away by the synchronized city façade while entering this much anticipated destination. Excitement was in the air; a long manicured road away from the city leading us to our experiment zone. The first thing we noticed- a setting sun eclipsing the beautiful hill at its backdrop and there started the vast stretches of grapes and grapes as distant as we could focus. The green of the grapes somehow looked like a processed photograph in the evening light and the reddish green effect perfectly set out the mood for a fun filled evening.

We had our reasons for being happy and feel honoured to be hosted by the SULA Vineyards. A factory visit followed by an on the house dinner at Little Italy, the Mediterranean-style restaurant inside the vineyard area was a historical visit for us. What made the dinner at Little Italy so special was its being India's first restaurant inside a vineyard. Moreover, the 'Sula Vineyards' boasts of a Tasting Room - India's first – located atop the winery. The Tasting Room is a heaven for visitors to sip wine, gaze over the grape fields, and enjoy the sunset by the hills. What we found best alluring was the 'Sula souvenir collection' at the Tasting Room. From Sula imprinted T-shirts, stemware, ice buckets and bottle shaped chocolates- there were many more ways to bring home the special Sula experience. For those who want privacy, there's a comfortable lounge but we opted for the open terrace tables.

However, Sula is not the only winery to provide such delightful experiences to the visitors. A lot of We learnt that because of the warm climatic conditions, wine in India doesn't require years of fermentations. Yes, we heard it right-just one year is enough. wineries in the vicinity have also embraced the concept of winery resorts and from beautiful wine themed rooms to special relaxation centers, there are so many options to indulge. Had we stayed at one of the resorts, we would have gone kayaking in the Gangapur lake nearby. Unfortunately, we had few other commitments to fulfill. Beyond, India's first vineyard resort by Sula Vineyards offers some of the best countryside vacation experiences. We also learnt that wine has other benefits too. Wine Therapies are thus gaining popularity among the health conscious lot in the country and Nashik is undoubtedly the best place to try this out. Ayurvedic Health SPA at the Tiger Hills Vineyards on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway is often frequented by people seeking some extra wine benefits. Finally, with some interesting fact loaded into our memory, we decided to part ways with the word wine. To end it- we learnt that because of the warm climatic conditions, wine in India doesn't require years of fermentations. Yes, we heard it right-just one year is enough.

Apart from the dinner at the vineyards, we had to sneak out to accommodate some private affair at Nashik. A car ride through the city was successively complimented by a lovely breeze, nice company, and some classic Chinese food. Though, having dinner twice was too heavy on the calorie chart but we shrugged off scary thoughts for the sake of a beautiful night. We wouldn't be lying if we say we didn't even bother to sleep that night. Loads of laughter streamed in the whole night followed by an unusually beautiful morning. The day was unusual too, in the sense; our stopover at a world class knowledge centre in the city (in the process of turning the city into another education hub in the state) was indeed a world class experience. Stopping at the huge library with a panoramic view of the whole campus, we wanted to sit back and browse through books but honestly, it looked more of a restaurant other than a concentration camp (no pun intended).

On the other hand, the trip was further made special by our interaction with one of the star athletes in the country, Kavita Raut who was practicing at a local sports complex. Her composed self reminded me of the day at the 19th Commonwealth Games last year. Seeing her win a bronze for the 10,000 meters women's race was a really proud moment for us but she hasn't moved an inch from her humble life till date.

Along with her, there practices a young lot who dream of making it big in life like Kavita did. Call it an impulse or inspiration, the sportsmen in many of us woke up and almost everyone tried hands in some Archery. In some sheer moment of luck, someone actually hit the right target and this was one of the many things in Nashik that made our trip a hit. For example, the visit to the Pandavleni Caves and the Ram Kund. After all, one cannot rule out the true essence of a place.

For that matter, Nashik will always be the holy city and thus, we wrapped up our visit with a brief stop at the Trimbakeshwar temple (home of the jyotirlinga for which Nashik is famous among Lord Shiva devotees) on our way out of the city. A gift from the Nashik friends weighed heavy but we decided to open it later at home. But, obviously, it had the most common yet priceless items from Nashik-table grapes, strawberries and special Chivdas (puffed rice snacks). We savored the goodies for several weeks after, but the taste of the hospitality we got in the city will never go out of stock. Funnily, Nashik is famous for tomatoes as well. However, no one gives tomatoes as gifts, I suppose.