7 hot facts about Iceland

If the thought of Iceland conjures up visions of a dull, frozen expanse, think again. Hot springs, colourful skies, delightful contrasts and lush green valleys punctuated by milky waterfalls are characteristic to Iceland. 

You’re sure to catch a glimpse of some of Iceland’s wonders as it makes it to the big league of Bollywood alongside Sharukh Khan and Kajol in Dilwale in the song Gerua and he chose Iceland based on its incredibly majestic appearance. 

There are more wonders to this Nordic superstar than the astounding black and blue landscape that forms the dramatic backdrop to a large portion of Gerua. 

Iceland is one of the world’s great stages for Northern Lights
Who wouldn’t be bedazzled by the sight of a night sky coming alive with colour? Iceland offers you a good chance to view one of nature’s most specatular shows in action – the northern lights or aurora borealis. 

Iceland is home to one of the world’s bewitching black sand beaches
Vik (or Vík í Mýrdal) at the extreme South of Iceland, is often been referred to as one of the most beautiful places on earth. Its dramatic beauty emerges from its vast stretches of basalt sand. Away from the coast, stacks of basalt rock have been lent texture and jagged edges because of the ocean sweeping constantly against them, Vik lies in close proximity to the Katla volcano which has not erupted since 1918.

Hot springs offer you a mineral-rich respite during the cold
The Blue Lagoon is Iceland’s most famous hot spring. Other notable geysers (as they are also called) include Reykjadalur which is right near the capital Reykjavík – it involves a little bit of a hike. Seljavallalaug is also near Reykjavík and offers you the added incentive of absolutely stunning surroundings. 

Grjótagjá is a long distance from the capital and closer to the north of Iceland but it offers the distinction of a hot spring experience in a cave.
You can also enjoy a swim in hell if you like… at Víti, meaning hell, in Askja. It is quite a trek up through pumice beds, ash sand and old lava and when you finally arrive at the edge of the crater that forms Viti, it genuinely looks like Lucifer’s own steaming cauldron with its steaming surface and sulfuric gases. 

Iceland’s thundering waterfalls will ‘let you in’
At 60 metres tall, Seljalandsfoss is overpowering and indomitable. But, it turns out that you can scramble behind the plume to find a beautiful cave adorned with hundreds of little flowers (saxifrages to be precise) blooming amidst a carpets of moss and curtains of ferns. The sight of the ocean through the watery veil is sure to give you goosebumps.

There’s a birdy dance on in Mývatn
Mývatn is a lake formed by a massive volcanic eruption that took place 2300 years ago. Besides its stark, beautiful volcanic landscape, Mývatn is a bird-lover’s haven (in the summer) and comes alive with over 100 species of water birds. 

Folklore has it that that the elves reside in Borgarfjörður Eystri
One of Iceland’s captivating local legends states that the Queen of the elves lives in the charming little town of Borgarfjörður Eystri. It is easy to believe when you see the gravity-defying positioning of the rocks in Dyrfjöll, here. Hvítserkur resembles a dinosaur frozen to stone half-way through a drink of water. 

You can watch the midnight sun in Iceland
The trip to Grímsey rewards you with a double-whammy: you will be crossing over to the Artic Circle and will catch the midnight sun. It is a two-day road or boat trip but is well worth the experience. You need to get to Akureyri and catch a plane or ferry here. Obviously, this one is time-bound: you need to travel between 15 June and July 1.

It’s a good place to have a (blue) whale of a time 
Skjálfandi is already beautiful with its fringe of mountains but most tourists make a beeline to this bay in order to see the whales between May and September. Mink whales, blue whales and humpback whales can be spotted fairly easily here. You might also catch sight of a dolphin. 

Pause, reflect and sip

Promoting the idea of taking a break and enjoying life, Pause Wines launched a portfolio of 14 varietals grown and blended in its vineyard in Dindori near Nasik. Pause Wines journey began in 2005 when Rajesh Patil, a gourmand, experimented with the idea of setting up a winery in Nashik. The goal was to offer a variety of custom-made wines suited to the Indian palette and ultimately spread the wine culture in the country.

In 2007, he started Pause Wines. Today, with over nine varietals, the wine-maker has built a portfolio that includes reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and its award winning Shiraz, whites like Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, as well as a Rosé – Pause Ruby Red, all which are currently available in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.

The winery
Pause vineyards are spread over 100 acres of fertile farmland in Dindori near Nasik. Located about 25 kms from the vineyards, the Pause winery has a capacity of 60,000 liters and can accommodate 10 wine varietals. It has a processing set-up with imported equipment from Italy for an authentic taste of wine.

Speaking about how he would set his wines apart in a growing market like India, Patil says, “We guarantee quality wines. Customers will get exactly what the label on the bottle says – with absolutely no mixing, which is currently a norm in India.” He adds that his vineyard also has access to fine quality grapes, a wide range of wine varietals, and in-house Vignerons and sommeliers on hand.

The strategy
Patil plans to reach out to hotels and restaurants apart from retail. “We are already talking to five-star hotels and fine-dining restaurants in metros and tier I cities. We already conduct training and tasting sessions with bartenders everywhere.”

It will soon expand to have presence in places like Delhi, Rajasthan, UP, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh by next year. This includes tourist destinations like Agra and Khajuraho that gets a lot of international tourists. For now though, Pause Wines is busy preparing to a launch a sparkling wine and wine tours at its vineyard.

Speaking about his perspective on the Indian wine market, he says, “While wine is increasingly becoming popular, it is yet to become an integral part of Indian people’s regular lives. Countries like France have a consumption of three to five litres per  person, but India stands at a mere 0.2 mm per person. However, the aspirational middle class are setting in motion a routine shift in wine consumption ratio and drinking habits. We want to propel that growing trend of acceptance and make it more accessible to the diverse populations of India.”

Pause Wines wants to reach out to mature wine-drinkers who are already wine consumers as it is “difficult to cultivate new drinkers”.