The Kullu valley grows some of India's best apples, and in recent years that harvest has started finding its way into bottles as well as crates. Alongside the valley's famous fresh fruit, a small but growing world of apple ciders, fruit wines and fermented drinks has developed across Himachal Pradesh — worth knowing about if you're visiting Naggar and the surrounding orchards.
From Orchard to Bottle
Himachal Pradesh's fruit-processing industry grew partly out of necessity: decades ago, large quantities of surplus and lower-grade apples from the state's orchards went to waste for lack of processing facilities. That changed as government and private producers set up units to turn culled and surplus fruit into juices, jams, and fermented products including apple cider and fruit wine. Today, Himachal-based producers make ciders and wines not just from apples but from the valley's other orchard fruit — plums, apricots, peaches and even strawberries — giving the region a distinct, orchard-driven drinks scene that's fairly unusual for a Himalayan state.
What to Try
Apple cider from the Kullu-Himachal region tends to be lightly sparkling and fruit-forward rather than heavily alcoholic, closer to a sparkling apple drink than a strong brew. Fruit wines follow a similar profile — plum and apricot wines in particular are popular regional specialities, often sweeter and lighter than typical grape wine. These are made by a handful of established Himachal producers and are increasingly available in shops and hotels across the Kullu valley, including in Kullu town and along the road toward Manali.
Practical Tips
- Availability is best just after the apple harvest, from September through early winter, when local shops stock up on the season's fresh-pressed products.
- Look for bottles from established Himachal producers rather than unlabelled roadside stalls, especially if you want a reliable, food-safe product.
- These drinks make good, packable souvenirs — check airline liquid restrictions if you're flying out of Bhuntar or Chandigarh rather than travelling by road.
- Pair a chilled apple cider with a plate of local Himachali food after a day of sightseeing — a nice, low-key way to end an afternoon in the valley.
After a day spent walking Naggar's orchards and lanes, there's something fitting about ending it with a glass of the valley's own apple cider. Ghar in the Hills is a homestay right in Naggar village, surrounded by the same apple orchards that go into these bottles — a relaxed place to sit back with a drink and watch the light change over the valley.
Whether or not you're a wine enthusiast, tasting a Kullu valley cider or fruit wine is a small, easy way to understand just how central the apple is to daily life here — well beyond the fruit itself.