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Wine dearer this season as grape cultivation dips

Rain is scanty and growers around Bengaluru are giving up their vineyards for real estate projects Five kg grape is required to brew a litre of wine. No sugar is added during the making of fruit wine.

Drought, coupled with decreasing plantation, is making wine more expensive this year. Production has dropped because of scanty rainfall in Vijayapura in northern Karnataka and districts around Bengaluru, the main grape-growing areas in the state. Also, vineyards are making way for real-estate projects.

In 2015-16, production of grapes for wine-making was 9,000 tonnes. This year, the yield is lower by 1,000 tonnes, Karnataka Wine Board (KBW) Managing Director T Somu said. 

Last financial year, 68 lakh litres of wine were produced, as against just 40 lakh till November this year. The harvesting season is over, so the production won’t go up further. “November and December is when grapes are plucked for wine production,’’ he said.

Bengaluru special 

A variety of grape, called Bangalore blue, is used for red wine production. It is mainly grown in and around Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagaram districts. 

“Grapes have turned sweet, which makes them good for table consumption and not for wine making. For wine production, the acidic content should be high,’’ Somu explained.

Depleting groundwater is one of the reasons farmers are moving away from grape cultivation. Another key reason is the rapid urbanisation around Devanhalli, just a few km from the Kempegowda International Airport. Farmers are selling their lands to realtors or entering into joint development agreements.

In Bengaluru rural, 1,411 hectares are under grape cultivation, and can produce 25,992 tonnes. Of this, 40% is used for table consumption. Devanahalli, where grapes used to be cultivated on 1,500 acres, has recorded a decline of 500 acres. 

Vijayapura district has also registered a 20% to 25% drop in cultivation from the regular 1,500 acres because of drought, and 10% because of hailstorms, Somu said.

The board plans to launch wine tours in Vijayapura. The idea was mooted five years ago, but little has moved. Grover and Heritage Wines are currently offering tours privately.