Wine festival in Shillong draws huge crowds

The 11th edition of the Wine Festival held here, witnessed the participation of around 11 wine makers.

The festival was attended by people who tasted the fermented alcoholic beverage with great enthusiasm.

The state has emerged as a potential player in wine making in the country. Wine lovers were surprised to taste different varieties of 11 home-brewers.

"We have been attending this festival for six years and, we have been making wine for about 10 years of all. It's really a hobby and we really enjoy coming here every year. We have been experimenting with different fruits, a few vegetables too and it's lovely. The crowds are good," said a wine maker, Vincent.

A variety of wines including fermented ginger, mulberry fruit, strawberry, passion fruit, blackberry, plum, banana, jackfruit, Roselle, sticky rice or cashew apple, were displayed and left visitors with a unique taste.

The one-of-its-kind festival has already seen people, including foreign tourists, thronging the place in large numbers.

"I just came here for the wine festival which basically has all these local wine makers in Shillong. They make their wines and they come and sell it here. So these wines are actually nice and they are good. And you won't get it anywhere else, just here and it is once a year," said a visitor, Noel David.

This festival aimed to create awareness not only about the art of wine making, but also its commercial potential as an industry, encouraging the farming community to grow more fruit trees thereby realising the full horticultural potential of the state.

Wine makers of the state expressed a keen desire for the legalisation of local brews in the state and cited examples of dry state like Mizoram where the Act prohibiting home wine making was amended by allowing grapes and other fruits for brewing purposes.