Out of the total count of 93 wineries in the country , 75 are in Maharashtra and 37 in Nashik alone. The wine sales in the country rose by 21 per cent from 95 lakh litres during 2013-14 to 1.15 crore litres during 2014-15, as per the figures released by the All India Wine Producers’ Association (AIWPA).
On the rise of Nashik-produced wine sales last fiscal, AIWPA president Shivaji Aher was reportedly quoted as saying, “Earlier, wine bottles (750ml) were sold for upwards of Rs 350, which made them a little unaffordable. Now the wineries have started producing cheaper varieties starting from Rs 150 a bottle.”
Over the years, hotels and restaurants have realised the need to sell wines with minimum price margin rather than at a higher prices. Hotels who earlier sold four bottles are now selling 10 bottles a day. With 65 per cent of the total sales in the domestic market coming from the company, Nashik-based Sula Vineyards is one among the major wine producers in the country.
“We sold eight lakh cases (nine litres to a case) of wine during financial year 2014-15 as against 6.5 lakh cases in 2013-14. We have a separate wine-tasting room for those visiting our winery,” Neeraj Agrawal of Sula Vineyards was quoted as saying.
Nashik is also known as the wine capital of the country and is also a major tourist draw for people visiting the city. For tourists, AIWPA organises the wine-tasting tours to help promote the sale of wine varieties.
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