Our Story
The Story of Château Aarav
The unhurried beginning of a Himalayan wine estate.
our Journey
A dream that beganfar from home.
My journey into wine did not begin with Château Aarav. It began with curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a dream that I did not fully understand at the time.
Founder & Proprietor of Château Aarav
The Founder
Abdul Salim
Known as Salim Aarav · Founder & Proprietor
Château Aarav
Château Aarav was founded by Abdul Salim, publicly known as Salim Aarav, who serves as the estate’s Founder & Proprietor.
01 · CALIFORNIA
The first encounter.
I come from India, but one of the most important chapters of my journey began thousands of kilometres away, in California, USA.
There, I completed an internship at Wild Diamond Vineyards, gaining hands-on experience in viticulture and winemaking.
Wild Diamond Vineyards
California · USA
“Maybe one day, I could create a vineyard of my own.”
A THOUGHT BECOMES A DREAM
Working among the vines changed something in me. For the first time, I began to understand how much patience, work and care exists behind a bottle of wine.
I learned that wine does not really begin in the cellar. It begins in the soil, with the vines, the seasons and the people who care for them.
It was only an idea then. I had no château. No vineyard. No bottle carrying my name. Just a dream — and the realization that I still had a great deal to learn.
02 · GERMANY
A deeper education.
That desire to learn eventually brought me to Germany. Here, wine became an important part of both my professional life and my personal journey.
I had the privilege of working as an Assistant Sommelier under Maître Sommelier Christophe Meyer. His knowledge, guidance and support played an important role in shaping the way I understand wine today.
Germany
Sommelier
Learning to look beyond the bottle — toward the vineyard, the vintage, the people and the years of work behind the glass.
03 · THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
Learning from many places.
My curiosity took me further. I travelled through wine regions in Germany, France, Spain and Italy, visiting wineries and vineyards and learning from different landscapes, traditions and people.
Somewhere along the way
Why not India?
Why not the eastern Himalayas?
The farther I travelled, the more I found myself thinking about home. I did not want to return and simply copy Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, Germany or California.
Those places taught me something more important: a great wine should belong to its own place.
04 · COMING HOME
The dream found its way home.
I wanted to take what I had learned and begin discovering what our own land could become.
And slowly, the dream that first came to me among the vines in California found its way home.
The beginning
That dream becameChâteau Aarav.
05 · ROOTS
A name that means home.
The name Aarav is inspired by my mother's name. For me, this was never going to be simply the name of a business.
My journey has taken me far from home, but everything I have been able to pursue began with the values, strength and support I received from my family.
Château Aarav is my way of saying thank you.
Today · 2026
We are still at the beginning.
There is no long history for me to tell you yet. There are young vines, land to understand, mistakes still to make, lessons still to learn and many seasons ahead of us.
And I don't want to rush any of it.
Anything worth leaving behindtakes time.
What began as a thought far from home is now taking root in the eastern Himalayas.
This is only the beginning ofChâteau Aarav.
Abdul Salim
Known as Salim Aarav · Founder & Proprietor
Château Aarav
Rooted in the Himalayas. Crafted for generations.
The People
JULIEN MOREAU
Technical Director · Viticulture & Winemaking
Technical Director
The Meaning Behind the Name
CHÂTEAUAARAV
Aarav
“Aarav” comes from my mother’s name, making the estate not simply a wine project, but something rooted in family, gratitude and legacy.
Château
“Château” represents the estate as a whole — the vineyard, the land, the winery and the vision being built around them.
Together
Château Aarav is a name intended to connect where I come from with what I hope to leave behind.
A Legacy in the Making
A vineyard may begin with vines, but a legacy begins with the people who gave us our roots.
We did not begin with a winery.
We began with a belief in the land.
The Philosophy
Every decision at Château Aarav begins with the land. We observe its soil, climate, slopes, and seasons, adapting our practices to work with nature rather than against it. For us, great wine begins with respecting the place where it is born.
This is only the beginning.