Bangalore Wine Festival No 4 from March 11

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Mar 2: The much acclaimed Bangalore International Wine Festival (BIWF), an annual event, is being held at White Petals in the sprawling Bangalore Palace Grounds in the city, for three days from March 11.

The first wine festival in the city was organized by the Karnataka State Wine Board at Lal Bagh in 2009, became quite popular with thousands of people and even wine lovers flocking to get a taste of wine.

Subsequently, the Wine Board in association with native brands from Karnataka organized an international festival of wine at the Bangalore Palace Grounds in year 2010.

The last wine festival was held again at the Bangalore Place Grounds.

According to B N Nanjundaiah, Managing Director of NaKa Wines from Karnataka, which along with another native brand Kinvah, will be orgnising this year’s wine festival.

“Festivals of this kind will increase sales of wine and also cultivation of grapes,” he said.

However, the visitors will be charged an entry fee is Rs 100 per head. But every visitor will get a glass of wine along with the entry ticket, Nanjundaiah said.

The event will showcase wines from all over the world and allow wine drinkers and novices to experience and understand the vast world of wine.

As many as 30 wine brands from India and abroad will put up stalls to promote their brands of wine.
More than 25,000 people visited the stalls in the last festival held in 2010, Nanjundaiah said, pointing out that at least 45,000 visitors were expected to visit the three-day wine festival this year.

The three-day special event includes grape thumping, band and seminars on tasting wine to popularise wine as a health drink, which according to Nanjundaiah would help increased sales of wine in the State.
“Wine industry is directly dependent on agriculture sector. As demand for wine increases, demand for grape cultivation also goes up. Finally farmers will be benefited,” he said.

It may be recalled that Karnataka formulated its first wine policy in 2007 to promote cultivation of grapes as well as wine brands.