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The 40-day India Grape Harvest (IGH) — a festival celebrating local produce such as grapes, wines and raisin — opened in Nashik on Friday.
But unlike in the previous years, the events are not just associated with wines but also with a whole range of other activities promoting the Nashik Valley as a tourist destination.
Wine tourism
Taking a cue from the Indian Premier League, the organisers of IGH will be holding 14 events across the district. Campsites have been developed at Vallonne and Vinchur wine parks where tourists can experience local food with the wines.
Altogether, tourists will be able to taste 72 types of wines at the festival. IGH organisers expect about 15,000 tourists to participate in the festival.
Pilgrim circuit
Jagdish Holkar, former Chairman, Indian Grape Processing Board, told BusinessLine that the attempt is to develop the Nashik Valley as a brand not just for wine tourism but also for showcasing the area’s grapes, pomegranates and even onions.
Since Nashik is also associated with the Godavari river and the Kumbh Mela, the associated pilgrimage circuit is also being presented to the people.
The IGH is also set to recognise the contribution of grape farmers in producing wine as per global norms, he said.
Promoting a wine cluster
The festival will host workshops and seminars aimed at Make in India campaign for emerging entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector. Tourists will be able to participate in events such as grape-stomping, wine-tasting, farmers’ market and learning to cook with wine.
Rajesh Jadhav, Secretary of IGH, said that through the festival the Nashik Valley brand is being developed for sustainable development of local wine industry through backward and forward linkages. The attempt is to develop the Nashik Valley as a wine cluster, he said.
The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is also supporting IGH. Interactive sessions with winemakers from Germany, Japan and France will also be held during the festival.
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