Here’s some trivia for those who don’t know it: SulaFest was incepted around the same year as Sunburn
was. In the last eleven years, Sunburn has had a roller-coaster of a ride with
a rather long stint in Goa before making its way to Pune and has grown
magnanimously in size. SulaFest, on the other hand, has had all the right
reasons to stick to its permanent venue in the mystic vineyards of Sula in
Nasik and has also grown significantly over the years.
With the mercury expanding north of 30 degrees Celsius in the
month of February in Goa, the chilly late evenings and early mornings of Nasik
make it a great weekend getaway destination. Add to that the convenience of
Nasik being accessible via Mumbai and with the Mumbai – Nasik highway being one
of the most pleasurable roads to drive on in India; SulaFest has seen a steady
surge in the number of Goans attending the festival, particularly in the last
couple of years. The rising of interest of Goans towards SulaFest could also be
attributed the fact that most music festivals happening in Goa have failed to
deal effectively with the monotony that plagues them. In that regard, a music
festival like SulaFest provides a completely different experience set against
the backdrop of lush vineyards, thereby the audiences a unique experience of
the best from the worlds of music, food and wine.
The curtains came down on the eleventh edition of SulaFest held
recently and akin to almost every year, this year’s edition saw music and wine
aficionados register their attendance at the festival in big numbers. Held over
the weekend on February 3 and 4, 2018, SulaFest 2018 saw fest-goers sway to the
tunes of over 100 artists including Bollywood sensation Amit Trivedi who set
the stage on fire and wowed his rapt audience. Electrifying performances by
internationally celebrated artists including Gypsy Hill, electronic-folk band
Crystal Fighters, Austrian music producer and performing artist Parov Stellar
and vocal groove band Bauchklang also left the audiences spellbound. Whilst
music enthusiasts had their passion satiated by performances on the two stages,
as opposed to three stages that the festival had last year in its tenth
edition; food and drink connoisseurs indulged their senses and taste buds with
some of the finest flavours from across the world.
The gourmet food spread gave fest-goers the chance to gorge on a
range of scrumptious cuisines including Oriental, Mughlai, Indian and Italian
amongst others. In addition to award-winning wines from Sula (including their 3
recent Indian Wine Consumer Choice Awards 2018 gold medal winners), brands such
as Beluga, Hardys, Mud House, Kumala, Asahi, Cointreau, Highland Queen and Pitu
Cachaca added to global soul of the festival
In addition to the finest food, wine and music, some of the
highlights of the festival included specially curated experiences, such as
grape stomping sessions and a variety of other games. The festival also
featured bonfire sessions with exclusive acoustic performances by spectacular
artists, near the camping area. Some of the activities that took the crowd by
storm included exclusive meet and greet sessions with the artists performing at
the SulaFest tent city, treasure hunts and exquisite wine and food pairing
sessions. The SulaFest Bazaar offered a selection of unique, funky items that
added to the festival experience, especially for all the shopaholics!
Sula
is also a pioneer in India’s wine tourism opening the country’s first winery
Tasting Room in 2005 and first vineyard resort, Beyond by Sula, in 2007. In
March 2017, the company opened India’s first heritage winery resort, The Source
at Sula. Their annual music festival SulaFest taking place yearly in the first
weekend of February is one of the country’s most awaited festivals. With over
250,000 visitors last year, Sula is one of the most visited wineries in the
world and the #1 spot where Indians first taste wine.
