Wine tourism

Over 5,000 tourists visited Sula Vineyard facilities in Bengaluru and Nashik on December 24^th 2023, the most on a single day sale of ?85 lakh.

• Wine – An alcoholic beverage with alcohol content from 12% or more so of distilled spirits (all by volume).
• Production - India’s shares less than 1% in global production, while France, Italy, Spain and the US tops globally.
• Maharashtra holds 90% of India’s total wine production.

Over the last few years wine as a category has grown faster than Indian Made Foreign Liquor segment but its share in total alcohol sales in the country is still less than a 1%.

• Wine tourism – The growth of home grown brands and the availability of imported wines are driving travel interest to vineyards in India and overseas.
• Maharashtra’s Nashik is emerging as the ‘Wine Capital of India’
  • It receives more than 3.5 lakh visitors every year.

Sula, India’s largest wine producer, with its 1^st resort at its vineyard in Nashik. Over 3 days in 2023, it received 12,000 visitors who contributed ?2.28 crore in revenue.

• Steps taken – Reduction in duties and stepped-up marketing campaigns.
• Economic importance - According to International Spirits & Wines Association of India, wine tourism in Nashik has benefitted nearby villages by creating new opportunities like hotel properties, food industry, local farmers and retail merchants.
• It also helps Maharashtra to improve state GDP by nearly 20%.

Ghol fish, the State fish of Gujarat whose air bladder is used in the production of wine and beer.

Judima, a home-made rice wine of Assam’s Dimasa tribe has become the 1^st traditional brew in all of northeast to earn a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its distinct sweet taste.