Nashik, some 2,000 feet above sea level is situated approximately 200 km from Mumbai and Pune. The three cities form a triangle between them. Nashik has been one of Maharashtra's important industrial and agricultural cities. Presently it is well on its way to becoming a leading IT centre and has already achieved the status of 'wine capital' of the country. Nashik has always been the country's largest producer of grapes. Until recently over 95% of the produce was of table varieties like Thompson Seedless and Sharad. Globally however, the scene was exactly the opposite with 95% of grapes produced in countries like France, Italy, Chile, Germany, USA, Australia and others were of wine varieties. With the increase of wine production coupled with the government's new wine policy, the acreage under cultivation for wine grapes around Nashik increased dramatically and continues to grow. More and more farmers are switching over to growing wine varieties to meet the growing demand from wineries that have mushroomed in the district. The district of Dindori is a prime grape growing area. The terroirs in the area are excellent for the cultivation of grapes. 'Terroir' is a combination of the soil, the climate, the water, the rainfall, etc. of a particular area. It means that the terroir can differ from vineyard to vineyard; indeed, it can differ in different parts of a large vineyard. In other words, terroir imparts a certain sense of belonging, a certain character to the wine made from grapes grown in it.
The site for the Chateau d'Ori estate was selected after an intense search for a suitable terroir. The soil being a mixture of laterite and murrum was well suited for thriving of vines. The rainfall was moderate and the temperature varied between a minimum of 4* to a maximum of 40* C. Situated on the slopes of the twin hills of Nhera-Ori, the lay of the land offered natural drainage so necessary to viticulture and provided catchments for flowing water. Proximity of the site to the distribution dam of Palkhed was an added advantage as it helped in augmenting the supply of water to the vineyard.
