Karnataka toasts wine tourism

Bangalore: Karnataka is all set to go the California way — it will welcome tourists with wine. The state government, in its soon-to-be-announced wine policy, has planned to chase its dollar dreams by giving thrust to wine tourism. A green signal to this effect was given by the cabinet last week.

“Tourists can stroll through picturesque vineyards and be a part of the wine-making process. They can also buy fresh wine,’’ horticulture department sources said.

Similar tours are conducted in California’s Napa Valley and New Zealand. Other cities promoting wine tourism are Melbourne, Bordeaux (France), Cape Town and Florence.

Karnataka has already set the stage for promoting wine tourism. Grapes are grown in nearly 9,700 hectares across the state; the annual production being 1.67 lakh tonnes. The grape-growing districts of Bangalore (Urban and Rural) and Kolar — called Nandi Valley — and those of Bijapur, Bagalkot and Belgaum — Krishna Valley — will be promoted in a major way, horticulture minister Shashikanth Akkappa Naik said. Even the high-end domestic tourists will be tapped for this.

The government hopes wine tourism will be a hit, particularly in the serene Krishna Valley. “Bijapur and Belgaum are heritage centres, and since they are close to Goa, a lot of tourists flock there. Now, wine tours will be an added attraction,’’ sources added.

Apart from increasing grape cultivation, the government wants to encourage more wineries. It plans to declare wine-production units as foodprocessing industry and extend necessary concessions. Further, the licence-issuing procedure will be relaxed — no longer will winery owners run to the excise department for licences, instead they can obtain the same from respective deputy commissioners. That too within 30 days of submitting an application.