Wine festival in Bangalore draws wine lovers in large numbers - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Enthusiasts recently turned up in large numbers to get a taste of exclusive varieties of wines during the two-day long wine festival held here. The festival was held at the White Petals, Palace Grounds, Bangalore. Organised by the Karnataka Wine Board, the event saw participation of over ten leading wine manufactures from across the country. The event showcased wines from all over the world and allowed the wine drinkers and novices to experience and understand the vast world of wine from eight different varieties of grapes. Dr. Krishna, managing director of the Karnataka Wine Board said that the consumption and the production of wine in India are increasing steadily. "The wine scale has increased from 1.33 million liters to 19.5 million liters. It is a good sign. I hope another ten industries will come up in the next five years. Also wine production has increased from 1.5 million liters to 2.5 million liters and the grape area has also increased from 600 hectares to 1800 hectares. This is a good sign for the farmers, industrial and Karnataka people," said Dr. Krishna. Experts believe that the Indian wine industry, comparatively new, is constantly progressing, and given some time it is bound to match international standards. "Surprisingly, Indian wines are tasting good and that is why it might not take really long for India to come on the world wine map," said Ranjan Ghoshal, wine expert. Wine enthusiasts were upbeat about the festival, which is on lines of similar festivals in other developed countries. They believe the wine culture is on a rise in the state and such events would give it a boost.