|
 Many sceptics may not agree that wine can be divine, even though it has been treated as such in Christianity for centuries. But the divine Kumbh Mela slated to be flagged off today and last till September 29 will offer a golden opportunity to cash-in on the captive audience, with an unprecedented number of people taking a bath near Nashik- 80-100 million pilgrims are expected to take the holy dip.
Kumbh Mela is known to be the largest congregation of humans on the planet on a single day and is one of the most sacred festivals of India. According to Indian mythology, there was samudra manthan (churning of ocean) between Gods and demons when Amrut (elixir- the source of eternal life) was produced and kept in a pitcher (Kumbh). Lord Vishnu flew away with it and had to hide it from the demons at different places- Swarga-lok, Mrityu-lok and Patal-lok.
A few drops of this Amrut (I reckon it tasted like icewine-wine producers in Nashik might stress it tasted like Late Harvest Chenin Blanc, while the makers of Amrut single malt whisky would find the taste closer to their moniker-editor). But the key factor was it would purify the soul). Drops of it fell in four places on earth, which are today known as Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik (Nasik). Millions of Hindus believed these drops gave mystical powers to these places every 12 years- when the Mela was held by rotation in each city. With intent to gain those powers and purify the soul Kumbh has been celebrated for thousands of years. The center of Kumbh festival is Trimbakeshwar, about 38 kms away from Nasik, from where River Godavari originates and people congregate to take a holy dip.
The Kumbh starts on Tuesday July 14 with the Flag Hoisting ceremony at Ram Kunda. Exactly a month later on August 14, Sadhugram will see the hoisting. Shravan Shudha is the First Snan (bath) and is on 26 August. The three Shahi (royal) Snans are on August 29, September 13 and 18 respectively with Bhadrapad Shukla Dwadashi being on September 25.
Promotions by Nashik Wineries
It is this scenario that offers the first such golden opportunity to the wine producers. At the last Mela in 2003 there was not much wine to talk about. Now the Nashik region is dotted with over 30 wineries that one might like to visit though there are over 70-80 spread in Maharashtra. Different wineries in and around Nashik are buckling up at different levels to increase their sale as much as possible and perhaps improve their brand image.
Sula Vineyards
As always, Sula Vineyards has been pro-active to exploit any such opportunity with an edge over others. It plans a service to the holy baths for the pilgrims and tourists from ‘Beyond by Sula’ Resort. ‘Beyond’ is equidistant from both the wholly places Trimbakeshwar and Ramkund, making it a preferred choice for the tourists to stay, so far the location is concerned. The Sula Tasting Room with the big open deck and looking into the vineyard is a perfect place to taste wines and their signature restaurant Soleil by La Plage from Goa, offering organic menu would  delight the visitors,’ says Deepak Bhatnagar, the National Sales Manager who feels there is a very good potential of increasing sales substantially due to the Kumbh and they are ready to tap into it.
Sula is also offering trips to the places of Snans every day at reasonable prices of Rs. 1000 plus taxes that include food baskets and transportation. The ‘Beyond’ machinery has been geared to make it comfortable and convenient for the visitors- be they from overseas, Mumbai or just walk-ins so that they may enjoy the ‘Kumbh and Wine’ experience. (Check out sulawines.com or the FB page for details).
Sula also has erected Billboards in Nashik welcoming people to the Kumbh, further strengthening its brand besides being informational.
Grover ZampaVineyards
Grover Z has an advantage of having the Zampa winery a few kilometres off the Mumbai Nashik highway so the tourists can plan a quick visit to the winery, with wine tasting and even lunch if fixed beforehand when travelling in groups. Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO of GroverZ says, ‘we already have wine tasting facilities and winery visits every day from Monday to Saturday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm with 2 packages of Rs. 500 (5 wines) and Rs. 650 (7 varietals including 2 bubblies). As a Kumbh initiative we are erecting 2-3 more billboards on Mumbai Nashik highway to promote the tours which we shall also promote in the digital space. We shall offer Group discounts on tours & tastings. Moreover, Wine sales will be at 20% discount from Cellar door.’ The winery is also targeting the foreign journalists who will be here to cover the Mela to come and taste the wines and hopefully write about them.
To attract the groups to swing by, the winery they will organise Special food menu for groups above 10 and provide assistance with hotel accommodation. Both these services would be with prior intimation and advance booking only.
Other smaller wineries also have Kumbh Mela on their mind. York Winery is situated close to Sula- it’s in the middle of the winery and the Beyond Resort but they are banking on the increased traffic to Sula to have a ‘dekho’ of their winery too. It has a visually enchanting tasting room where they provide reasonably priced food as well as wines at discount. ‘We have not planned any promotions but are expecting bigger footfalls,’ says the Director Ravi Gurnani who looks after the administration and marketing operations of the small family run winery.
Charosa Winery is about 75 minutes drive from Nashik. Though it is a bit far for a one-off visitor anyway, they produce good quality wines and perhaps could have used the opportunity to bring groups from overseas to their winery. The Chief Operating Officer of the winery, Mr. Parag Kamat says however, ‘We are not doing any special promotions as it might get miffed with religious sentiments.’
 Shailendra Pai owner of Vallonne Vineyards, in Sanjaygaon, about 20 kms off the highway and very close to GroverZ vineyards could have also benefitted from the spill-over effect or the connoisseurs desiring to taste wines in a boutique winery.. ‘We have not planned anything special for the Kumbh. We are in the midst of completing the cafe and the accommodation at the winery. We hope to be ready and running early next month and see some positive developments during the Mela,’ says Pai.
Shivaji Aher who owns Renaissance Winery near the Mumbai Agra Highway near Ozhar where a few other small wineries are also located is quite bullish about the benefits from the Mela and hopes to make hay during the ‘season’. He also has a restaurant in the winery and hopes to have several tourists visit his winery.
But the industry seems to have overlooked the potential benefits they could have derived if they had gotten together and organised ‘festivals’ of their own –at least during the important dates. IGPB could have played a major role but that initiative has been lost due to their financial constraints.
This experience is also being offered by some enterprising travel agents in Mumbai, who are combining visits to 3-4 wineries and giving a more complete experience to the visitors who may not have the means or the wherewithal to visit more than one winery. The packages also include stay, transportation and tastings, according to the individual choices. This would turn out to be the smartest idea- both from the point of view of the Travel agents as well as the consumer and the winery will have a share of the collection-and more importantly an opportunity to showcase their brands.
Subhash Arora |