A Sea Of Sips: Tranquilo Is Putting Nagpur On The Global Wine Map

Nagpur: Over a decade ago, a handful of dreamers gathered in Nagpur with an audacious idea: to cultivate a wine culture in a city famed for its oranges, not vineyards. Facing ridicule and raised eyebrows, they pressed forward, undeterred. Today, their vision has matured into Tranquilo, probably the first wine club in India to house its own boutique winery. Located in Mihan, just 15 kilometres from Nagpur's bustling centre, Tranquilo is more than a club or a winery — it's a testament to passion, perseverance, and a belief that wine is not merely a beverage, but a lifestyle worth sharing.
The roots of this story trace back to 2011, when the Nagpur Wine Club was born. The club started small, with just a dozen members who met regularly to sip, discuss wine's rich history, and explore its pairings with food. "We saw how wine thrived abroad — curated tours, tastings, vineyard visits — and wanted to bring that experience to Nagpur," said Deepak Khanuja, a promoter of Tranquilo.
What began as a niche passion project soon fermented into something much larger. By 2013, the club launched the Nagpur Wine Festival, an annual event that quickly became a citywide sensation. Sharad Phadnis, promoter of Tranquilo said, "Our wine festival started drawing wineries from across India and growing the club's membership rapidly, eventually making it the country's largest wine club."
The festival's success planted a seed. Ulhas Mohile, promoter of the club said, "As it gained popularity, we realized it was time to take it up a notch." That ambition crystallized in 2022, when the club announced plans to create Tranquilo, a wine club with its own winery, on land purchased in Mihan. Mohile said, "The vision was clear: to craft a space where members could not only taste wine but witness its creation."
Sandeep Anjankar, promoter of the club said, "Even before construction began, Tranquilo started getting members by the dozens. The buzz was palpable — through word of mouth alone, people were clamouring to join."
Finally in 2024, Tranquilo opened its doors, thus firmly putting Nagpur on the global wine map.
CB Singh, promoter of the club said, "Our main plan, Tranquilo's state-of-the-art boutique winery, took shape last month in February as the first batch of grapes were crushed for the wine making process."
Unlike sprawling commercial producers, this small-scale setup prioritises quality and craftsmanship over volume. Satish Zade, promoter of the club, said, "It's a boutique winery, meaning we're not chasing mass production. Here the entire focus is on quality and maintaining sanctity of the entire process."
The winemaking process is almost untouched by humans, thus adding to the hygiene factor and mitigating risks of impurities, the members said.
Grapes, sourced from select vineyards, arrive at the facility and are fed into a destalker to separate the stalks. A crusher then extracts the juice, marking the start of pre-fermentation. The juice is stored in large, temperature-controlled vats — monitored 24/7 to maintain sanctity — before moving to another set of vats for three months where the liquid naturally turns into the full-bodied beverage loved globally for centuries. In the entire process the liquid travels through sanitised pipes, thus eliminating human intervention. Finally, it's bottled, ready to grace the tables of Tranquilo's multiple restaurants.
A full-time employee is in charge of the in-house lab which keeps testing the batch to ensure it meets the high standards set by Tranquilo.
RC Sanodiya, promoter of the club said, "Transparency is a cornerstone of Tranquilo's ethos and that's why our winery operates behind a massive glass wall, offering patrons an unobstructed view of the process as they sip their favourite vintages. This way when they sip Tranquilo's wine, they can see how and where it was made."
The club already boasts an impressive claim: a wine bottle from every major brand in the world, stored in its cellar. Sudhir Kunte, promoter of the club said, "Now, with its own label in production, Tranquilo is adding a distinctly Nagpur flavour to that global collection, a move that underscores its ambition to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's finest."
The promoters say Tranquilo is more than a winery. Khanuja said, "It's a sanctuary for wine lovers and a hub for a growing community. Regular events, from expert-led tastings to workshops on food pairings, echo the club's humble origins while pushing boundaries."
That community has defied the odds. In 2010, the notion of a wine culture in Nagpur seemed far-fetched to many. "People laughed at us," Mohile recalled. "They thought wine was too elite, too foreign for a city like ours." Yet, the club's persistence turned sceptics into believers. Over the years, they've introduced thousands to wine's nuances, from the crisp notes of a Sauvignon Blanc to the robust depth of a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Khanuja said, "Tranquilo has recently opened a wine café, which is open to non-members as well. This unique concept gives everyone access to the finest wine from the world with our knowledgeable staff ready to assist with information about the wine's history and speciality. We also have a members-only section as well where curated events are held to promote wine awareness."
All eyes are now on the first batch of wine made at Mihan, which will be ready for bottling around May. Khanuja said, "That will add another feather in our cap, when our own wine bottles are available for the public."
From an idea being discussed across the table in 2011, to setting up of a classy wine club, and now an in-house winery – the group which started Nagpur Wine Club has come a long way.
And most importantly, they have given Nagpur an identity – as a wine destination – something which seemed impossible to almost everyone.