Once Vijay Mallya’s country manor, now a vineyard escape

“To recognize wine, you indispensable recognize ‘terroir’ — the consciousness of place. What came earlier and what happens after, to genuinely grasp the now,” says Craig Wedge, the Australian property manager of the recently opened vineyard hotel, Hotel Irada. It’s 4 p.m. connected a pleasant Tuesday afternoon. Under a beaming sun, we’re lasting amid the freshly trellised vines that signifier the mise-en-scène of this modern boutique retreat.

It is, fittingly, terroir — that intrinsic consciousness of spot — that defines the tone of India’s newest luxury vineyard hotel. Once the countryside manor of erstwhile liquor baron and ex-Kingfisher Airlines chief, Vijay Mallya, the property successful agrarian Maharashtra has been reimagined by 30-year-old Kanpur-based hotelier Yash Malhotra. Close to Baramati, it is present a stylish, design-forward 32-key getaway (only retaining the archetypal structure) that thrives connected originative collaborations, and channels the vigor of modern nine civilization that is connected the emergence globally. 

Even aft Mallya’s exit, the property remained a moving vineyard, producing Four Seasons vino (it inactive does), passing done a fewer hands — Diageo and Grover Zampa — earlier serendipitously uncovering its mode to Malhotra. He transformed the property into Hotel Irada successful conscionable 11 months, opening doors precocious October; portion Grover Zampa continues to run the winery. It has besides conscionable been named Marriott’s archetypal plan edifice from India.

Picture a rug

A five-hour thrust from Mumbai (or conscionable 2 from Pune airport) brings you to a small agelong of wilderness disconnected the highway. Hotel Irada is hidden wrong the folds of Maharashtra’s vino state — an ‘if you know, you know’ secret, known lone among the initiated for now.  

The imposing, neo-classical chateau, surrounded by a 66-acre vineyard (beyond which are pomegranate and star farms, arsenic good arsenic 4,000 acres of reserve forest), is fronted by a expansive fountain from the Mallya era. Sweeping duplicate staircases framework the entrance, starring you into an eclectic interior — a 19ft x 7ft customized partition installation by Jaipur Rugs depicting a emblematic time astatine Irada anchors the lobby, and Italian bistro Rosso (open to non-residents) sits close across. 

Beyond it, a leafy courtyard dotted with tables and committee games could beryllium anyplace successful the world. I mightiness conscionable arsenic easy ideate myself astatine Babington House successful Somerset, Estelle Manor successful Oxfordshire, oregon 1 of The Hoxton oregon The Standard hotels astir the globe. Unlike galore different vineyard resorts successful the country, the absorption present seems to beryllium connected curating a rounded acquisition for young, well-travelled Indians, connected a par with planetary standards. 

‘Dial 9 for wine’ 

The thought to physique a concatenation of design- and collaboration-led boutique hotels crossed India had been fermenting successful Malhotra’s caput for astir 5 years, inspired by his stint successful the hospitality manufacture successful the US. Hotel Irada is the archetypal successful a bid of outposts to follow. 

Originally designed by designer Navzer Irani, the spot has present been reimagined by Calicut-based Humming Tree, who person leaned into the determination for inspiration. For lawsuit — the burgundy poolside umbrellas get from the hues of wine, arsenic bash the bathtubs successful the rooms. And the cardinal cards cheekily work ‘dial 9 for wine’. The creation postulation has been curated by Method Gallery successful Mumbai, adjacent featuring pieces from Parisian flea markets. Instagrammable? Yes. But besides thoughtfully layered. 

As I locomotion towards my suite, I walk the glass-fronted bottling portion tucked down a staircase, allowing guests a glimpse into the workings of the facility. Ditto with the solid skirting on the hallway, offering a peek into the fermentation country successful the basement beneath — a reminder that we are residing successful a living, breathing winery arsenic overmuch arsenic a hotel.

No 2 rooms present are alike. Mine features arched ceilings, chevron upholstery and a burgundy bathtub. The tiny balcony overlooks the driveway and vineyard beyond, wherever a caller 14-room helping is slated to unfastened successful January.

Forest hikes and vino tastings 

The ‘Irada’ acquisition begins adjacent earlier you get — with a telephone from Craig a time prior, to gauge however you’d similar to walk your time. There’s plentifulness to do: wood hikes and sunset trails, with the occasional chinkara sighting if you’re lucky.

At the Irada Pool Club connected the archetypal floor, the all-day paper moves easy from misal pav-inspired bruschetta to Neapolitan pizzas and Asian comfortableness food, adjacent dosa astatine breakfast. Rosso masters hearty Italian fare, from champagne cacio e pepe and merlot poached beetroot carpaccio to tiramisu and artisanal gelato. The espresso changeable close after? That comes from Subko. 

Their Nyāsa spa is managed by the award-winning Ananda successful the Himalayas (Ananda’s archetypal specified collaboration), with a tightly curated paper of immersive treatments. Located astatine the borderline of the forest, the spa helping is replete with its ain yoga pavilion, blistery tub deck, and a sauna country looking retired to the vineyard. Keeping up with the planetary inclination of societal wellness is Irada’s racquet club, with a pickleball and padel tribunal close by the helipad primitively installed by Mallya.

But the marquee acquisition here, naturally, is the vino tasting. This is led by Craig — who brings astir 2 decades of acquisition successful hospitality, with 8 of these years arsenic the marque manager for Fratelli. The circuit of the vineyard, with grape varieties utilized to marque Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Shiraz, and tasting that follows purpose to demystify wine, particularly “wine from India versus Indian wine,” arsenic helium puts it. The effect is conversational, inclusive, and refreshingly jargon-free. 

Soon, Irada volition besides present its ain single-estate scope of wines, to beryllium sold exclusively connected the property. It volition complement an already robust vino enactment — deliberation planetary bests from Pinot Blancs to the cult Super Tuscan, Sassicaia — curated by French vino advisor Irène Hebrard. 

So yes, there’s plentifulness to capable your clip with astatine Irada — oregon you could take to bash thing astatine all. Disconnected from the unreserved of metropolis life, clip present moves astatine its ain rhythm. And truthful tin you.

Rooms from ₹25,000 and above.