Too soon and the grapes aren�t ripe, a tad late and the grapes are as good as waste. This is the daunting task faced by the people at Pataleban vineyards each year. Every year, June presents a frantic harvest season for the people working at the Pataleban vineyards who work tirelessly all the way until August to ensure all the different varieties of grapes are harvested at the right time. Growing and harvesting grapes is a challenge to say the least as it requires all the right combinations of the soil, temperature, altitude and utmost care to yield a good harvest. For Pataleban vineyards, the combination has favored them immensely.
Nepali wines aren�t very popular and certainly not known for their taste or quality and have a very mixed reputation in the market. Kumar Karki, the brainchild of this establishment, along with Janapal Thapa and Dhruba Khatri are working towards turning around the fortunes of Nepali wines. The vineyard has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2007 and slowly but steadily, the people at Pataleban have been working towards producing finer Nepali wines. The reception towards their products have been immensely positive.
Producing wine is not an easy task by any means and the people who started here didn�t do it all by themselves either. They sought professional help from people in Switzerland who taught them the various processes, including growing and harvesting grapes, that are required in producing a bottle of wine.
I partook in their annual harvest in Kewalpur, an hour�s journey from their Pataleban Vineyard Resort which happens to have its own little vineyard with over thirty five plants. The one in Kewalpur represents one of the many vineyards they possess spread across over a hundred hectares of land. The other ones are situated at Kaule, Khani Khola and the Pataleban Vineyard Resort itself.
Here, we participated in harvesting the phoenix varietal of grapes which is currently is undergoing a trial phase, which if proven a success is likely to be produced in the market.
�This is the first time that we have grown this variety. We are optimistic about it. Let�s harvest and see how it turns out in a year�, says an enthusiastic Kumar Karki.
Once the harvest gets underway, there is no rest. Everyone is hard at work as even a day of tardiness can result in the fruit going bad. The grapes are cut from the stem with a scissor and tossed into baskets. This can be a slow process for beginners like me and many others as you need a keen eye to discard any spoilt grape in the bunch. The workers here on the other hand are experts at what they do. They need not look twice to spot a bad grape and quickly proceed to filling baskets upon baskets of the just harvested phoenix grapes. This task seems easy but, it is a long process and the sweltering heat doesn�t help the occasion too. But, it is this same heat that helps the grapes grow. The twenty different varietals of grapes here require a hot and humid climate for the perfect growing conditions.
The several grapes filled baskets are then loaded on to the back of a jeep and taken down to their cellar where the grapes loaded on to machinery called hydro presser that separates the stems from the grapes and crushes it to produce juices that are later used for the wine.
After the grapes are crushed and the juice gathered, the fermentation process takes place. The fermentation process requires up to a week for proper fermentation. From there, the wine is stored in large barrels for an additional six to seven months until they are fully ready to be bottled and marketed.
On being asked if the same kind of wine from around the world taste the same as the one produced here, they say that each wine differs from one another even if they are produced from the same type of grape. The soil, water and the temperature factor in to change the taste in each product.
A plantation of this magnitude also requires a very big manpower. They hire several employees who are constantly taking care of the plants year round to ensure none of the plants suffers an untimely demise. A few of the workers here have been with the company since the beginning and say the stress free environment is what has kept them here all these years.
For the locals working at the plantation, it has been a blessing. The lack of income had proved to be a very frustrating factor but since its inception in 2007, the employment numbers in the area have also increased significantly adding a much needed income source for many of the locals there.
Apart from lack of support and the unpredictable weather patterns the most challenging thing for the company has been the lack of knowledge about wines in the country. Wine culture is still very new in the country as the majority of wine drinkers are unaware of the different tastes or the food combinations that go with the drink.
�Nepali people are unaware of what wines are all about. Yes, it is still an alcoholic drink but you don�t simply push it down your throat. You need to be aware of various things while drinking wines. Even as small a factor as the temperature the wine is served in can highly alter the overall taste. Its things like these that people need to understand and we here are more than willing to impart our knowledge on wines to our fellow Nepalese�, proclaims Dhruba Khatri.
For the purpose of spreading knowledge about wines and its ways, the vineyard regularly hosts tours for students or interested groups at their vineyards where they can learn about multiple aspects of wines and grapes. 
The vineyard has plans for future expansion as well with a large factory in the works with a dedicated space for reserve wines and a proper wine tasting room. They currently produce White, Red and Rose wines but they say that they intend to produce sparkling wines in the future as well. The factory will also boost production and produce more than a hundred thousand bottles of wine.
�Our wines are have been growing in popularity among the Nepalese consumers and demand for our wines are always pushing us to work harder and continuously improve our product. We hope to be able to provide the local market with our wines very soon�, says Janapal Thapa, one of the partners at the vineyard.
While the wine is directly available for purchase only at their resort, they have recently started to supply bottles to a few selected hotels in the capital. Due to their limited infrastructure, they have decided not to supply it to vendors but visiting their resort just for a bottle of their wines is a good enough reason to start planning a trip.
Nepali wines are still very much new in the market and are only just beginning to make themselves known. We have a long time to gain recognition around the world as producers of fantastic wines but with the good work being done at Pataleban, the future is looking very bright for Pataleban and Nepali wines.
Nepali wines aren�t very popular and certainly not known for their taste or quality and have a very mixed reputation in the market. Kumar Karki, the brainchild of this establishment, along with Janapal Thapa and Dhruba Khatri are working towards turning around the fortunes of Nepali wines. The vineyard has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2007 and slowly but steadily, the people at Pataleban have been working towards producing finer Nepali wines. The reception towards their products have been immensely positive.
Producing wine is not an easy task by any means and the people who started here didn�t do it all by themselves either. They sought professional help from people in Switzerland who taught them the various processes, including growing and harvesting grapes, that are required in producing a bottle of wine.
I partook in their annual harvest in Kewalpur, an hour�s journey from their Pataleban Vineyard Resort which happens to have its own little vineyard with over thirty five plants. The one in Kewalpur represents one of the many vineyards they possess spread across over a hundred hectares of land. The other ones are situated at Kaule, Khani Khola and the Pataleban Vineyard Resort itself.
Here, we participated in harvesting the phoenix varietal of grapes which is currently is undergoing a trial phase, which if proven a success is likely to be produced in the market.
�This is the first time that we have grown this variety. We are optimistic about it. Let�s harvest and see how it turns out in a year�, says an enthusiastic Kumar Karki.
Once the harvest gets underway, there is no rest. Everyone is hard at work as even a day of tardiness can result in the fruit going bad. The grapes are cut from the stem with a scissor and tossed into baskets. This can be a slow process for beginners like me and many others as you need a keen eye to discard any spoilt grape in the bunch. The workers here on the other hand are experts at what they do. They need not look twice to spot a bad grape and quickly proceed to filling baskets upon baskets of the just harvested phoenix grapes. This task seems easy but, it is a long process and the sweltering heat doesn�t help the occasion too. But, it is this same heat that helps the grapes grow. The twenty different varietals of grapes here require a hot and humid climate for the perfect growing conditions.
The several grapes filled baskets are then loaded on to the back of a jeep and taken down to their cellar where the grapes loaded on to machinery called hydro presser that separates the stems from the grapes and crushes it to produce juices that are later used for the wine.
After the grapes are crushed and the juice gathered, the fermentation process takes place. The fermentation process requires up to a week for proper fermentation. From there, the wine is stored in large barrels for an additional six to seven months until they are fully ready to be bottled and marketed.
On being asked if the same kind of wine from around the world taste the same as the one produced here, they say that each wine differs from one another even if they are produced from the same type of grape. The soil, water and the temperature factor in to change the taste in each product.
A plantation of this magnitude also requires a very big manpower. They hire several employees who are constantly taking care of the plants year round to ensure none of the plants suffers an untimely demise. A few of the workers here have been with the company since the beginning and say the stress free environment is what has kept them here all these years.
For the locals working at the plantation, it has been a blessing. The lack of income had proved to be a very frustrating factor but since its inception in 2007, the employment numbers in the area have also increased significantly adding a much needed income source for many of the locals there.
Apart from lack of support and the unpredictable weather patterns the most challenging thing for the company has been the lack of knowledge about wines in the country. Wine culture is still very new in the country as the majority of wine drinkers are unaware of the different tastes or the food combinations that go with the drink.
�Nepali people are unaware of what wines are all about. Yes, it is still an alcoholic drink but you don�t simply push it down your throat. You need to be aware of various things while drinking wines. Even as small a factor as the temperature the wine is served in can highly alter the overall taste. Its things like these that people need to understand and we here are more than willing to impart our knowledge on wines to our fellow Nepalese�, proclaims Dhruba Khatri.
For the purpose of spreading knowledge about wines and its ways, the vineyard regularly hosts tours for students or interested groups at their vineyards where they can learn about multiple aspects of wines and grapes.
The vineyard has plans for future expansion as well with a large factory in the works with a dedicated space for reserve wines and a proper wine tasting room. They currently produce White, Red and Rose wines but they say that they intend to produce sparkling wines in the future as well. The factory will also boost production and produce more than a hundred thousand bottles of wine.
�Our wines are have been growing in popularity among the Nepalese consumers and demand for our wines are always pushing us to work harder and continuously improve our product. We hope to be able to provide the local market with our wines very soon�, says Janapal Thapa, one of the partners at the vineyard.
While the wine is directly available for purchase only at their resort, they have recently started to supply bottles to a few selected hotels in the capital. Due to their limited infrastructure, they have decided not to supply it to vendors but visiting their resort just for a bottle of their wines is a good enough reason to start planning a trip.
Nepali wines are still very much new in the market and are only just beginning to make themselves known. We have a long time to gain recognition around the world as producers of fantastic wines but with the good work being done at Pataleban, the future is looking very bright for Pataleban and Nepali wines.
