Aditi Pai

Aditi has been writing for India’s leading news magazine for the past 14 years but between stories on food, society trends and interesting personalities, she spends her time watching the vineyards bear fruit, joins the winemaker in conducting wine appreciation sessions, engages with guests and joins her father and brother in giving every visitor at her family-run Vallonne Vineyards a memorable and enriching experience.
In the interview with Swetha Amit, Aditi Pai talks about how the idea behind Vallonne vineyards conceptualised, the experience of wining and dining inside the vineyards and also the evolution of the Indian market in the wine business.
When they started out, their philosophy was always about wine education, awareness and innovation. They wanted people to understand wines and not just perceive it as another alcoholic beverage. Wine tours and vineyard trails were already popular in the western world. This popularity was bound to grow in India once the awareness and appreciation for wines set in. In the last five years especially, Indians who have travelled abroad extensively have visited vineyards there and have developed a large interest in grapes and wines. This was something they had anticipated, which is why they chose a property with a picturesque setting and which was a little cut off from the hustle and bustle of the main town, in order to develop their wine tourism.