Could the Karnataka Wine Board (KWB) do to wine what Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) has done in the form of Nandini? That is the hope as the board hopes to revive the long-dormant “wine park” in Bagalkot to turn it into a winery. “We will be calling for an Expression of Interest from private wineries to turn our 141-acre land there into a vineyard. We will enter a public private partnership to create a brand from the wine produced here,” said T. Somu, chairman, KWB.
Currently, Karnataka is the second largest producer of wine grapes at 3.92 lakh tonnes. At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Somu announced the “International Wine Festival - 2017” to be held between April 7 and 9 in the city.
The festival will see the participation of over 30 national and international wine makers, as well as manufacturers of equipment and accessories for wineries. Apart from discussions on expediting the wine market in the State, the festival will feature wine-tasting events, promotion of wine tourism as well as live music from popular bands on all three days, Mr. Somu said.
The festival will be held at MANPHO Convention Centre, near Manyata Tech Park.
