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| Gurjit Singh Barry, Wine Educator interacting with the audience on serious and trivial queries |
Taste wines for free and buy wines you like
Enjoy traditional grape stomping
The entry fee for the carnival : Rs.49/-
The Bangalore International Wine Festival 2014 showcased wines from all over the world, gave consumers a chance to experience and understand the vast world of wine. Wine lovers in the city of Bangalore could learn the secrets of wine making from experts at the wine festival, organised by the Karnataka Wine Board in association with Horticulture Department, Government of Karnataka, during the week-end at Jayamahal Palace Hotel, Bangalore. Visitors indulged in tasting variety of wines. Several brands from India and across the world participated in the festival. The gala event also offered wine lovers an opportunity to be a part of traditional grape stomping.
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| Red wine Sangria, White Wine Mojito, Rose Wine Magarita |
Commenting about the festival, 63-year old Harish Shetty, a seasoned-drinker said, “it is very exciting to know that there is a growing trend of wine drinkers in the city and am delighted to tickle my taste-buds with a vast range of wines.” “Some emotions just can’t be bottled”, lured Big Banyan premium wines.
A survey indicated that wine consumption in India is “likely to increase to 2.1 million cases by 2017, 73 per cent higher than 1.21 million cases in 2013”. The three-day fete provided a huge platform for various wine houses to showcase their brands. Wine experts gave presentations about wine in India, wine tourism, trends in wine market. A gamut of wine tasting aside, a 10 per cent discount across the board was offered on all brands.
Dedicated wine tours were also promoted. Swati Sahoo, who conducts tour on behalf of Wine Tour India, was pleased to uncork the details about the guided wine tours, short and long ones, ranging from 1 day to 5 days. “Wine tours are regularly organised at Bangalore, Mysore, Nashik, Akluj… The short trip, say, Bangalore, covers the famous vineyards and Wineries, usually not open to public. Guests will be able to taste different wines from vineyards. Wine lovers are welcome to discover the magic of wine-making. The guides would help to uncover the process from grape to bottle,” Swathi said.
Stall owners showed interest in explaining the nitty-gritties of the beverage, the industry and the emerging wine culture. A few of them were enthusiastic to give details about grape growing, geographical conditions, fermentation, canopy management, aging, harvesting, crushing .... till it reaches the bottle and corked. “Quite a few first-timers to taste wine thronged the stalls”, said Mohit Nischol, Business Head, SDU Winery, adding that “wine has been accepted as a family drink.”
Heritage Winery attracted big crowd, as free sampling was going great guns. They listed the various health benefits of consuming suitable quantity of wine. “The antioxidant in the wine increases life span of the consumer, while consumption also increases the quality of blood circulation, relieved mental tension and improved renal function. The calcium content in the beverage strengthened the bones,” their literature claimed.
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| Image courtesy: The Hindu |
By the time you finished a round of sample tasting, free and paid-ones, you can spot the difference in variety, quality of tasting and fortified and a regular wine. You will also be able distinguish between Red wines and White wines, Rose wines and Sparkling wines … The price ranged from Rs.100 to Rs.6,000/- per litre.
The passion for wines and his wine-making experience prompted Ravi Susarla to make the La Terra Winery, a reality. They make wines using local grapes, a first in Bangalore and India. Exquisite grapes grown in the best of climatic conditions, supervised by renowned winemakers and tasted by experienced tasters resulted in the bouquet of “Season Wines.” Winery KRSMA Estates insists that “for the wine to be true, unique and world-class, every step needs their personal touch. Expertise is enlisted from across the world and the exacting standards flow down to every last detail.”
“Wine is all my heart,” believes Ajay Shetty, an ex-banker, who founded Myra Vineyards, based in Bangalore. They gave a ready demo of “Red wine Sangria” – a mix of cinnamon syrup, canberry juice, Red wine and orange/apples (you can add any fruit of your liking, avoid banana though) – that savoured a refreshing experience. Though it is recommended to serve “slightly chilled, open and allow to breath for 15-20 minutes”, I felt wine, a great drink on its own.
Bangalore now has an exclusive wine library. A brain child of K.S. Lokesh, Founder of Madhuloka liquor boutique, Enoteca by Madhuloka promises to offer an array of services to all wine lovers and connoisseurs in the city. Enoteca will be a space where one will be able to taste wines, learn about their history and take in a course on wine appreciation.
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| Grape stomping image courtesy: Nine Hills |
Young and audience-friendly Gurjit Singh Barry, Sommelier and Wine Educator presented great details about the grape, the wine, the industry, the culture, and took questions from a cross section of the audience that were good, bad and the outrageous, while even guiding how to hold the goblet. Colour, clarity and aroma considered in evaluating wine before it is served, he added. If you had the passion and the patience, by the time you exited from the festival venue, you could have been richer with the grasp of the grape-to-wine journey.
Get ‘PROTEQTED’. An off-beat stall promoted a kind of chocolate, branded “PROTEQT’ that seeks to neutralise the after-effects of alcohol, safeguards liver and enjoy the party better.
End of the day, a win-wine situation!
At the outset of this shall I” Cheers” to this heady festival. CHEERS.
ReplyDeleteThe word “wine” sends people into a dizzy attitude especially the women folk. What the majority of the teetotalers, women and the family of a wine taker do not understand is the beneficial and the medicinal properties of this concoction known as “Wine” and aptly termed as the “Manna Dew”!
The author of this blog has rightly pointed out the various good qualities of the wine like its antioxidant properties, improvement of blood circulation, relieving of mental tension, the calcium fortification for strong bones and easing of the renal functions…et al. Therefore the rejuvenating qualities of the red liquid are for sure.
The author of this blog says that Bangalore now has an exclusive wine library. NOW??
Now..?? Or then..??? I am at Bengalooru, every now and then due to my roots in the Karnataka State)…and I have found none of these cozy joints. I am unlucky perhaps!
Yes, like Ajay Shetty the founder of M/s. MYRA VINEYARDS, rightly said,” Wine is all my heart,”!! I can also put forth a lot of “cocktails” of the wine of mine, but then this is not the correct forum to put forth that.
And... “Red wine Sangria”..Did a good job.
Dedicated wine tours were also promoted, by Shri. Swati Sahoo, who conducts the tour on behalf of “WINE TOUR INDIA”, well and Good. Let it be so. Let the organizers do it on a nominal fee….. Like the Rs.49/- Entrance Fee to this Wonderful Wine Festival and not as a ‘dent’ on a relaxed, retirees pocket.
Conclusively speaking, a good Thirst quencher.