The 2nd Nagpur Wine and Food Festival drew more wine lovers than the year before, the festival’s chief promoter Sharad Phadnis noted with understandable pride. That the two-day event, which concluded on November 23rd was a great success, was amply clear by the simple fact that almost all the wineries had exhausted their stock by 10 pm.
In fact, two wineries were completely sold out by 7.30 pm and that created a little panic among the visitors because they couldn’t make use of their coupons. As a result, the event’s organiser, had to make good their tasting coupons from other wineries until even their stocks began to get over. Consequently, around 9pm, they declared the festival free and open for all.
It was very heartening for the organisers to see a 25% growth in the number of visitors this year. A lesson for all – and the participating wineries in particular – was to make sure that there was adequate stocks the following year to avoid a shortage of wines and disappointment for the consumer.
Since Christmas and the New Year are high on everybody’s list, the people of Nagpur were on a wine buying spree. Sula and Turning Point sold the maximum number of cases while Fratelli and Nine Hills also did well. However, GroverZampa and Chateau D’ori would need to be better prepared when they take part in the fest in 2015.
Said Sharad Phadnis, “I am happy to share that the dates for next year’s festival are November 28-29; the venue remains the same. We also hope there will be more participating wineries, as it’s quite evident that wine culture in Nagpur is on an upswing since the formation of the Nagpur Wine Lovers Club (NWLC) in 2010. With a membership of 155 members, it is among the fastest growing wine clubs in India.”