Are you a wine enthusiast and do you want to taste different types of wine? Here is an opportunity. A wine festival is being organised for the first time in Mysore. The Karnataka Wine Board, a government undertaking, is hosting the three-day wine festival on the premises of the office of Assistant Director of Horticulture, Oil Palm Project on Bangalore-Nilgiri Road (opposite Kalyan Jewellers) here from Friday.
Entry to wine festival is free. It is open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. A food court will be set up at the venue. Besides, music and cultural programmes will be organised. The festival also features grape stomping (smashing grapes with bare foot) which is usually done in wineries.
As many as 14 wineries in the State and four from Maharashtra are participating in the festival. According to Wine Board Managing Director B. Krishna, 40 brands of wine, including red, white and sparkling, would be available under one roof.
Speaking to presspersons here on Wednesday, he said that the festival will also have wine tasting sessions to train and encourage wine consumption besides offering wineries an opportunity to interact with consumers. “The wine festival in Mysore aims to promote the concept of wine culture as wine has health benefits,” he said. Mr. Krishna said that Bangalore has hosted about 20 wine festivals, including three international wine festivals, over the years. The event here is the first outside Bangalore and there are plans to hold such events in Belgaum and Mangalore as a prelude to the international wine festival in Bangalore in December this year.
He said that sommeliers from hotels here will be available at the festival to educate people about wines; what to eat with wine and after having had it and the health benefits of drinking wine.
Deputy Director of Horticulture H.M. Nagaraj said that the wine festival is being organised here for the first time as earlier events conducted by the department in view of good response they received.
Minister for Horticulture Shamanur Shivashankarappa will inaugurate the festival.
