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 The venue was the scenic lawns of Bhartiya city, the new 125- acre integrated township development in Bangalore touted as a smart city conceived along with global master planners and architects and the largest of its kind in within any metro city limits in India, which co-sponsored the event.
The event was ticketed at Rs.1000 a head to keep a check on the quality of the visitors who could enjoy the range of wines offered for tasting at the venue. About 1000 people showed up for the event which would be considered a mark of success for the first time event. Also noteworthy was that the crowd was relatively young at 21-50 years (though not as young as seen at Sulafest that attracts a majority of young people in their twenties and thirties because of its focus on contemporary music and the wider repertoire).
Conceding that the festival of this nature was long overdue, Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO of GroverZ says, ‘a big initiative like The Great Grover Wine Festival Bangalore was long due from Grover Zampa Vineyards (GZV) in the city of Bangalore. The event was created to boost the local artists and talent and create a fun filled yet a learning experience for wine lovers. It was a sheer delight to see the attendees enjoying the host of activities during the event.’
 ‘South India’s largest Annual Wine and Performing Arts Festival’ would perhaps find itself listed in the Limca Book of Records as the longest title of a festival even without ‘The Great Grover Wine Festival’ included. It also affirms as an annual event unlike the Great Grover Stomp at Nashik which was held in 2013 and 2014 albeit without announcing that it would be held every year.
With the Bangalore Wine Festival being organised for a few years by the Karnataka Wine Board, and an annual event claiming to be the biggest festival in India (despite the presence of a potpourri of wineries that include fortified wine producers selling their wares at Rs. 100), how could the event tout itself as South India’s Largest Wine Festival, I ask Sumedh. He is quick to respond, ‘it’s the largest wine and performing art festival. We have a host of live artists.’ Jury is out on the claim but Dr. B. Krishna, Managing Director of the Karnataka Wine Board whom I had met a couple of weeks earlier at the Sulafest was conspicuous by his absence- he was reportedly busy at another tasting event.
Also conspicuous by their absence were Kapil Grover, Ravi Jain and Deepak Roy, the Directors of GroverZ but the Board was well represented by two members, Amit Uplenchwar from Ahmedabad and Harish Pawani from Dubai.
The Great Grover wine festival was an eclectic mix of music, wine and several other events that added to the fun activities with bands and karaoke in attendance besides an illusion artist. ‘Our aim was also to showcase the local talent,’ says Mandla. The day long festival which began at 1 pm was complimented by various captivating performances by renowned local artists like Swarathma,  Ananth Menon & Trio and MadOrangeFireworks.
The guests were also seen enjoying food, shopping and grape stomping. The Flea market was buzzing with people who flocked to the stalls in never-ending streams. There were a wide range of interesting items for sale.
The event has had successful beginnings reminiscent of Sulafest which started in a similar modest way merely 7 years ago. Only time will tell if and when they attain the same level of success. But the festival does provide a great branding opportunity for Grover Zampa on its original ‘home territory’. It provides the denizens an equally important opportunity to enjoy a day of wine and doses-of fun. Meanwhile, Sumedh confirms that next year they aim to do The Great Grover Stomp in Nashik and the Great Grover Wine Festival in Bangalore.
For earlier Articles on the Great Grover Stomp, visit:
Great Grover Stomp 2014
The Great Grover Stomp in Nashik
Blog: Stomping the Great Grover |