Vineyards with wine tourism: A heady mix for hospitality business

Boutique resorts and hotels in vineyards of Nashik, Pune, and pockets of Karnataka are seeing an uptick propelled by domestic tourism, improving wine quality and supportive policy incentives.

 

While India may arguably still be some distance away from pegging itself next to a Napa Valley, Tuscany, or the Barossa Valley, wine majors like Sula, Vallone, and Fratelli are attracting visitors in thousands each year as room tariffs range between ₹10,000 and ₹75,000 a night.

 

“Wine tourism is incomplete without accommodation. Once the wine business stabilised, the natural progression was to build experiences around it, and stay is the most critical part of that journey,” said Monit Dhavale, head of hospitality at Sula Vineyards, which is headquartered in Mumbai and which operates some of the country’s largest vineyards in Nashik and Domaine Sula in Bengaluru.

 

Sula opened the country’s first vineyard tasting room in the late-1990s, followed by amphitheatres, restaurants, and festivals. The wine producer’s first hospitality foray Beyond by Sula opened in 2008, followed by The Source at Sula, with 12 rooms and has since expanded to 67 rooms. Recently, it has launched a third hospitality property in Nashik —The Haven by Sula, a new 50 boutique rooms.

 

Hospitality contributes about 7-8 per cent of the company’s total turnover while wine tourism overall accounts for nearly 20 per cent, according to Dhavale. “We average around 80 per cent annual occupancy, with peak months such as December touching 95 per cent,” Dhavale said. Average room rates are around ₹10,000, rising to ₹15,000 during festive seasons.

 

Globally, popular wine regions in the US, France, or Australia derive a significant share of their revenues from hospitality rather than wine sales alone, said Ashwin Rodrigues, outgoing secretary of the Wine Growers Association of India (WineGAI). Indian producers are now seeking to adapt to a similar playbook.

 

“Wine-themed hospitality commands a premium of 10-30 per cent over non-themed resorts,” said Rodrigues. “The experience such as vineyard walks, tastings, and food pairings, makes it visually appealing, experiential, and aspirational,” he added.

 

Nashik, India’s largest wine hub, despite its prominence, remains underpenetrated. It has fewer than 200 rooms across just three winery resorts, according to WineGAI. To add, government incentives are adding momentum. Maharashtra’s tourism policy offers 15-20 per cent capex subsidies, and seven-year goods and services tax (GST) refunds for wine tourism projects. However, the rise of vineyard hotels is leading to monetisation year-round through rooms, restaurants, weddings, and corporate offsites.

 

Hotel Irada in Pune Wine Country — a 66-acre estate built directly over a working winery, a 90-minute drive from Pune — is the country's first Design Hotel by Marriott. The property has been reimagined from what was once Vijay Mallya’s country wine estate.

 

Room tariffs range from ₹25,000 to ₹75,000 per night, with guest numbers for wine experiences. “We focus on curated, immersive wine experiences rather than volume tastings,” said Craig W Wedge, estate manager of Hotel Manager, adding that the property typically hosts around 40 guests for the Irada wine experience over a weekend.

 

The estate has currently replanted all its vineyards, with its next wine vintage expected in January 2027, highlighting how hospitality revenues can help sustain the long gestation cycles inherent in wine production.

 

Vallonne Vineyards, near Igatpuri, operates a four-room boutique hotel, and plans to add 12-15 rooms. “We realised visitors from Mumbai wanted to linger over meals, enjoy tastings, and stay the night. Hospitality currently contributes about 30 per cent of our portfolio, and we expect that to rise to nearly 50 per cent by 2027-28 (FY28),” said Aditi Pai, director, Vallonne Vineyards.

 

Vallonne receives 12,000-15,000 visitors annually, with growing international footfall during harvest and festive seasons.

 

Located in Maharashtra’s Solapur region, Fratelli Estate, owned by Fratelli Wines, operates a four-room property for exclusive bookings where each room, starting around ₹10,000, features large glass windows that open out to sweeping views of the surrounding vineyards.

 

Building on its wine tourism, Fratelli Vineyards is developing a separate, high-end 40-room resort within its 200-acre estate, which is scheduled to become operational in the second half of 2026. The expansion reflects the company’s move to capitalise on the rising demand for experiential travel and wine-led hospitality. 

Sip, savour, unwind

• Sula, Vallone, and Fratelli draw thousands with premium stays
• Room tariffs range between ~10,000 and ~75,000 a night
• Hospitality contributes about 7-8% of Sula Vineyards’ total turnover, while wine tourism accounts for nearly 20%
• Vallonne Vineyards receives 12,000-15,000 visitors annually
• Fratelli Vineyards is developing a separate, high-end 40-room resort, which will open in 2026
• Nashik, India’s largest wine hub, remains underpenetrated Nashik despite its prominence