Nagpur: “It is very heartening to see the overwhelming response of Nagpurians to wine. Wine business isv a tremendous boon to the agricultural / rural sector benefiting the farmers who grow grapes, and the villagers who are employed in Vineyards. It is a 100%rural industry with a market world wide” said Mr. Rajeev Samant, C.E.O. of Sula wines,the biggest and most successful commercially Vine Yards of India situated in Nasik, Maharashtra while throwing open the festival at C.P. Club, Nagpur. It has been organized in association with Indian Grape Processing Board of New Delhi, All India Wine Producers’ Association, Nashik Valley Wine Manufacturers Association and Sommelier India Wine Magazine.
Chairman of Indian Grape Processing Board Jagdish Holkar, CEO of Sula Vineyards Rajeev Samant and managing director of Trinity Vintners Ashwin Deo were there for the function.
” Let’s face it,every person,at the end of a tiring work day,would like to have a drink to unwind. If that glass he grabs is a wine goblet instead of a rum and cola or scotch on the rocks, he is doing his heart a very good turn ” commented Rajeev
while speaking to the Wine lovers club members and other connoisseurs gathered for the occasion.
With this object in mind, and alarmed at the huge consumption of Nagpur to hard liquor, Mr. Sharad Phadnis decided to start a Wine lovers club in Nagpur to educate his city people to the Art of Wine drinking and its benefits. Begun by four like minded people,the club has life membership of more than 150 members now.
This club has set another noble objective for the annual wine festivals.
“We will promote only Indian wines at this festival – so only Vineyards based in India will be invited to display their products at our festival ” asserted Mr. Sharad Phadnis.
So heartening has been the response of Nagpur and the reciprocation by Indian Wine makers that this year CEOs of two companies decided to be there for the inauguration of the festival.
“Last year we were not there participating in a big way at the festival. We did not have a formal Distributor also in place, yet we saw heartening sale of our wines”
said Abhishek Naik, Marketing GM of Fratelli Wines, based in Solapur. “We are the fastest growing Vineyard of the country”he claims.
“Different terrains produce different grapes and so the wines they produce are also unique to the area. There is no point in comparing French wines to Indian or Old world wines to new world.A wine is a wine and should be savoured for its own distinct qualities ” said Mr. Jagdish Holkar, Chairman of Indian Grape Processing Board .
Mr. Ashwin Dev of Trinity Vinters pointed out that Indian Wine industry has a tremendous future since it is growing at 20% annually while in the rest of the world the growth is 3 – 4%.
As the evening set in at the pleasant and pristine C.P. Club ‘Woods’ and people began thronging the event in huge numbers- both men and women and youngsters as well as young- at – heart one could see the veracity of Abhishek of Fratelli who declared that “Nagpur is a city where people seem to relish and enjoy the finer things of life. If every other car I see on the road is an Audi, it is no surprise that they have taken to wine also in such a big way.”
..Sunita Mudaliar
