Promoting the state of wines
Till 2003 there was only one winery in Karnataka. Due to the state’s wine policy today, there are now 17 wineries in Karnataka and all of them are operational. What is more, there is potential to come up with 10 to 15 more wineries in the state in another five years.
Government of Karnataka came up with ‘Karnataka Grape Processing and Wine Policy – 2007’ to promote wine variety grape cultivation and wine making industry in Karnataka. “The Karnataka Wine Board (KWB) was constituted as per the provisions of this wine policy,” informed Somu T, MD, Karnataka Wine Board.
Visions and Objectives
According to him, promoting wines, mainly made from grapes and other fruits and meads, promoting sustainable crop production, providing technical guidance to farmers and entrepreneurs, preparing action plans to promote the wine industry in the state of Karnataka are some of the vision & objectives behind the constitution of the Karnataka Wine Board.
“Collaborating with the Horticulture University and other research centres to adopt innovations in the wine industry; providing wine testing facility to produce quality wines on par with national and international standards; conducting training, conferences and seminars on health benefits of moderate wine consumption; organising WEAT Scholar (Wine Education Appreciation and Tasting) for stakeholders, and for agriculture, horticulture and hotel management students; promotion of wine consumption through wine festivals, trade fairs, tours and marketing and encouraging wine tourism are some of the other visions and objectives behind the constitution of this board,” elaborated Somu T.
Ideal Grape Cultivation Areas
“Karnataka stands second in grape production in the country and first in grape productivity; it stands second in the country in wine production, next only to Maharashtra,” he disclosed, while informing that Karnataka Wine Board is the only wine board in the country.
On the question that which areas of Karnataka are best suited for grape cultivation, he asserted that “In the northern parts of Karnataka, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bellari, Koppal, Gadag and Bidar districts are well suited for wine grape cultivation, whereas in the southern parts of Karnataka, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore Urban, Doddaballapur, Chikkaballapura, and Tumkur districts are well suited for wine grape cultivation.”
According to him, the main grape varieties grown in Karnataka are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and White Zinfandel.
Attracting Investments
On the question of what has been done to bring more investments in the wine sector in Karnataka and the role of Karnataka Wine Board in it, Somu T said, “Karnataka Wine Board has initiated various government initiatives to attract investments in the wine sector in the state of Karnataka. They include simplification of rules while issuing license and permit to the wineries; reduction of winery license fee in Karnataka to Rs. 5000 per annum from Rs.50,000 per annum and permission to open wine boutique / wine tavern for exclusive sell of wine among others.
“We shall also co-ordinate with various departments to facilitate entrepreneurs and farmers. We would collaborate with IIHR, UAS, NRCG in R&D activities related to cultivation of wine variety grapes, and with the state and central governments on issues related to wine industry and grape growers,” he pointed out further.
Wine Tourism and Education
Board’s various initiatives have created awareness about fruit wine consumption and its health benefits. Dissemination of wine education is also very much important for the wine culture to gain momentum. He stated that Karnataka Wine Board’s initiative on educating people about wines included organising more WEAT Scholar (Wine Education Appreciation and Tasting) programmes, and seminars and workshops on health benefits of wine consumption and food pairing.
Regarding wine tourism he disclosed, “Provision has been made in the state’s wine policy for the wineries to promote wine tourism. Wine tourism in Karnataka has helped visiting public to learn more about wine, wine making, wine tasting from wine experts. There is lot of scope of wine tourism expansion activities in Karnataka in the years to come.”
“Reputed wine players with presence in Karnataka like Grover, Sula, Big Banyan have started wine tourism in Karnataka and this is picking up. Wine enthusiasts have the opportunity to visit these wineries during cropping season and see wine production live,” he added further.
