Nine Hills Wine Going Places

Yes, we are all over the country now – from small towns to ethereal hill stations. And going by the initial reaction, people are lapping us up wherever we have laid feet.

We made this journey with four of our grandest wines – two from the cellars of whites (Nine Hills Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc) and two from the barrels of reds (Nine Hills Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon).

Let’s take you on a whirlwind tour of our latest invasions, practically from the east of the country to the west…..

• Assam: Yeah. We have actually dared to enter the land of tea!! And no, the one-horned rhino did not stop us…

• Meghalaya: Streets lined with beautiful cherry-blossoms greeted us when we reached this hill state. The capital city, Shillong, is by far one of the most stylishly dressed in the country.

 

• Nagpur: This city in the centre of the country gave us a huge toast upon our arrival (and scolded us for not reaching earlier, despite being in the same state!!!)

• Aurangabad: Know that Aurangabad is your destination when you want to see the famous caves, Ajanta and Ellora. When you go visiting now, you will no longer miss your favourite drink

• Kolhapur: Why this city with one of the highest number of Mercs being driven around did not have access to the best wines is a mystery to us too. Well no longer though. The Kolhapuris can now sip our famous whites and reds……….

Cheers to all these new places in the Nine Hills Wine map!!!

Vine To Wine

In September, we had done a feature on the stages of grape-growing – Nine Hills Vineyard Cycle. With this feature, we take you on the journey of the grapes from being harvested to when it’s ready to be sipped as wine – the Vine to Wine journey.

• Ripening & Plucking of Grapes:
• When the grapes are ripe enough and reach the right brix level, our winemaker plucks a handful to find out if they taste just right, chews the seeds and measures the sugar content. Once satisfied that the time has come, he gets his team of vineyard workers to harvest the grapes.
• As they set out to harvest their produce, vineyard workers aim to do it in the shortest possible time, early in the morning.
• They collect all the grapes in large crates which are then rushed to the winery for crushing

• Crushing of Grapes: No, in wineries, they do not crush the grapes with their feet. It is considered unhygienic — They use pneumatic presses. Red wines are produced by de-stemming and crushing the grapes into a tank and leaving the skins in contact with the juice throughout the fermentation. Most white wines are processed without de-stemming or crushing and are transferred from picking bins directly to the press.

• Fermentation: The juice, skins, and seeds (not for white wines) are poured then into stainless steel fermenting tanks. Special wine, cultured yeast is added at this stage to this grape juice. Fermentation begins when the yeast begins to feed on the sugars present in the grape juice. Carbon dioxide and alcohol are by-products of this process.

• Aging: Once the grape juice has fermented into wine, the wine is poured into barrels/tanks for aging. During the aging process, the wines change tanks/barrels several times in order to remove solids from the bottom of the tanks.
  

• Bottling: When our winemaker is satisfied that the wine is now ready to move from the barrels/tanks, they are bottled where the wine will stay and continue to age. Once the wine in the bottle is ready, it is then shipped and sipped by you and me!!!
  

Destination Vineyards

Rolling hills. Château. Stylish villas. Gourmet delights. Divine wines. Romantic walks. Holidays in wine countries give you all this and more. So which are the best? Let’s take a whirlwind tour of the best vineyards around the world…

• Bordeaux, France: How can Bordeaux not top the list? It is the most important wine producing region in France and in the world. They have about 7000 chateaux there!!! Imagine that. Near the Atlantic Coast, the wines that take the prize are the reds — Staint Emilion , Medoc, Margaux.

• Napa Valley, California: Napa Valley has long been synonymous with superb wine and striking scenery, making it one of the most popular wine destinations in the world. Home to nearly 400 unique wineries, the valley is situated north of the San Francisco Bay area and enjoys a Mediterranean climate. The top wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel.

• Tuscany, Italy: Off the Mediterranean Sea coast, this region of Italy has everything that dreams are made of. Reds like Chianti and Montalcino have attained iconic status in Tuscany.

• Stellenbosch, South Africa: Home to one of South Africa’s most visited wine routes, Stellenbosch is located east of Cape Town, with more than 100 wine cellars to visit. The region produces high-quality wines, mostly reds — Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Pinotage and Shiraz. Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are the prominent whites.

• Barossa Valley, South Australia: This scenic region is highly regarded for its Shiraz and its other robust varieties of red wine. Characterized by its visibly rich German heritage, along with its rolling, vine-covered hills, Barossa Valley is a beautiful destination for sightseers and wine connoisseurs alike.

So where are you headed now?