India's 'Napa Valley' draws city tourists to wine

NASHIK, India (AFP) - In the bar overlooking the twisting vines in India's answer to Napa Valley, a group of friends from Mumbai enjoy a weekend getaway - and a chance to brush up on their new wine-drinking hobby.

"I've been teetotal all my life, but quite recently I started to drink wine. It's a growing trend," said 30-year-old housewife Jol Kapadia, sipping on a glass of Chenin Blanc at Sula Vineyards.

The winery is based in the fertile western district of Nashik, India's grape-growing capital and a three-hour drive through the mountains from the teeming metropolis of Mumbai.

Boasting India's first vineyard resort, billed as an "antidote for stressed out city folk," Sula is luring crowds of urban middle-class tourists who are eager to learn more about wine.