Tasting, Stomping, Singing mark 3-Day ‘M’luru International Wine Fest’
Mangaluru: Wine-makers and aficionados came together in the city as the Mangaluru International Wine Festival 2017 which got off to a flying start on Friday 8 December, ended on Sunday 10 December at Kadri Park, organized by Department of Horticulture, Govt of Karnataka, and Karnataka Wine Board. For the First time the organizers had included wines from few foreign countries namely- Chile, France, Italy, Argentina, USA, South Africa, Spain and Australia. 13 wineries had their booth set up at the venue, and nearly 200 brands of wine were on display and for sampling and sale. Adding to the weekend fervour, the Fest offered wine tasting, wine & food pairing, and grape stomping.
Inaugurating the festival, on Friday (suppose to be inaugurated at 6 pm, the minister showed up at 8 pm- as always?) Minister Ramanath Rai said that the government put in place a preferential policy to promote wine and kept the drink out of its liquor policy. He said the wine industry has been encouraged to launch boutiques across the state; and few of them will be set up soon. “Encouraging the wine industry is to encourage grape farmers. The very idea of the festival is to showcase the potential of agro-based grapes and the wine industry,” said Ramanath Rai. He said Karnataka is second only to Maharashtra in terms of wine sale and grape production. The volume of wine sales has been pegged at Rs 200 crore in 2016, and grapes are being grown in near Nandi Hills in Bengaluru, Bagalkot and Vijayapura.
Karnataka Wine Board chairman Ravindra Shankara Mirje said the board is planning to bring out its own brand of wine in two years. The board will grow grapes in the 141-acre Wine Park, proposed to be developed in Vijayapura, and brew wine to be sold at taverns across the state. “We are planning to set up taverns on the lines of retail liquor outlets of Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL),” Mirje explained. To attract people, discounts were offered on wines and the entry fee to the festival was kept at a low price of Rs 20 per head.
As Ernest Hemingway aptly said, “Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.” – and the exotic three day festival during the weekend saw a large crowd of wine lovers, and also those who have never seen or tasted wine before- but everyone seemed like they had fun and joy affair with wide range of unique experiences. Apart from tasting some free samples of wines offered by the wine dealers, Bacchus lovers were seen swinging to the peppy and eclectic music, and soaking in the treacherous sun at the charming lawns of Kadri Park – away from the noise and dust of the city!
This Wine Festival was a perfect platform which attracted the wine aficionados, food lovers and those seeking quality recreation and live entertainment. Wine lovers, and even the teetotalers packed the portion of Kadri Park lawns to sip the rare and special wine showcased by over 13 wineries of Karnataka and Maharashtra. On Friday and Saturday, Mangaluru, which is the second largest wine market in the state after Bengaluru, witnessed an overwhelming response with wine lovers visiting winery stalls and buying red and white grape wine of their choice. Stalls not only showcased wine brands with price ranging between Rs 90 to Rs 2,100, but also offered connoisseurs wine to taste. Meanwhile, in the evening, children made the most of opportunity by participating actively in the grape-stomping that was specially arranged by the organizers.
The event brought together an exciting lot of wine, music, arts and more. What more could we ask for, eh? Sip and stomp! Be it their selection of heritage wines or the other brands like Sula Chenin Blanc, Sula Cabernet Shiraz, or for that imported wines from Chile, Italy, Argentina, and many more, there was quite an array for everyone to sip on. And for fun to try your hands (or rather, feet) at the age-old tradition of wine-making was a spot of grape stomping in a huge vat. Adding to the festive vibe was the music lineup, during the evening hours on all three days-namely Bharatnatyam and flute performance on Friday; Dance by Ocean Kids of Mangaluru and Music by the band ” Zehen” from Bengaluru on Saturday; and on Sunday, the crowd were treated to great music by sensational “Lagori”, which rocked the crowd with their numbers.
Celebrating wine and all the other good things associated with it, various wine dealers entertained their guests with free samples. There were wide range of wines, including sparkling wine, white wine, red wine and rose wine at the stall of Sula Vineyards based in Nasik. The stall which displayed couple of huge dummy wine bottles, had the visitors taking selfies and photos. More than the ten percent discount, wine lovers had the option to chose their favorite brand of wine by tasting it, which was a good move by the shops. Some wines were with less sugar or sugarless, which many visitors bought which were high on medicinal value, and healthy. To go along with wines, a few stalls served snacks and other goodies. The costliest wine among foreign brands at the Fest was Rs 3000 for Earth from California-USA, and the cheapest brand was for Cosecha from Chile priced at Rs 1094 per bottle.
Mathew originally from Kerala who was socializing with his Mangalorean friend, Jayaprakash speaking to Team Mangalorean said, ” This is a very good initiative taken by the Horticulture and other departments. Since Mangaluru has the potential, more such wine fests should be organized. By allowing to taste wine samples, people got to know which brand to buy as per their taste. These wine fests are a good way of socializing with friends”. Sylvia and Cheryl, students of a local medical college said, ” Indeed a lovely initiative. We had a chance to sip on good wine. Only wish they had better choice of grilled fish and meat stalls, to pair with all these unique wines. This fest encourages a shift to healthy drinking?? Keep up the good work”! While Rakesh, a exclusive beer drinker who had bought a bunch of carbonated wine flavored drink bottles said that he won’t mind trying something new, after all it has got a fizz like the beer. Cheers- I loved the fest, it was fun and had nice time socializing with my friends, he added.
Cheers-until we meet again at the Wine Fest next year- could be better than this year- keep your fingers crossed. And if you have already bought a bunch of wines at the best, make sure you use open them and have a “Wine-full and Cheers-full Christmas”-Ho..ho..ho..