JOIN USHeady Sunday for wine lovers
You can taste wine of national and international brands, buy it if you like and shake-a-leg to music. If you are bit adventurous, then try grape stomping. Otherwise, you can watch a fashion show while holding a goblet filled with wine.
The first international wine festival is offering these many options to spend your Sunday. The two-day event began on Saturday and will be on till late Sunday evening. Karnataka Wine Board has organised the first international wine festival involving private firms as sponsors.
The Board, which had organised the festival of local brands last year in Lal Bagh, chose to outsource the event management to a private company and hold the event in a bigger way. Last time visitors had the privilege of tasting wine free of cost. This time nothing comes free.
“Last time it was sort of a fair to popularise wine drinking. Thousands visited, hundreds of people tasted wine. This time we want to promote the way wine should be tasted. It is a family drink with advantages for health,” B N Nanjundaiah, member of Wine Board said.
Around 10 wine brands, including local Kinvah and Naka, have put up stalls. Wine importing firms Wine Baron, Aspiri spirits, Wine Dynasty have exhibited products imported from European countries. These stalls offer wine bottles at a discounted price. For those who wish to taste wine, can have the drink offered in glasses.
IT & BT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, during whose tenure as Excise minister wine policy was introduced, said the State Government’s decisions to bring down licence fee for setting bottling unit and wine production units encouraged the industry in a big way.
In the last four years production of wine in the state had gone up and sales also improved. Besides, area meant for grape cultivation has also increased from 600 acres to 1,800 acres. This trend would benefit both grape growers and the industrialists.
Minister for Labour B N Bache Gowda felt that industries had a role to play in encouraging more farmers to grow grape. The industrialists should ensure farmers that they would earn profit by growing grape. “Farmers sell grapes even for Rs 5 per kg. The industrialists should fix higher prices and ensure that farmers get share in the growth of the industry”, he said.
Highlights
* Festival opens for public - 12 noon
* Seminar/workshops - 3 pm to 5 pm
* Band performance by Beat Gurus - 5.30 pm
* Fashion show - 7.30 pm
* Grape stomping - 12 noon to 9 pm
* Laser show - 9 pm
* Venue: White Petals, Mekhri Circle Entrance, Palace Grounds
* Ticket - Rs 100