Make fruit based wine legal: Syiem

SHILLONG, NOV 8: It is time that Meghalaya should learn from Mizoram, a dry state, where it amended the Excise Act twice to legalize production of fruit wines as the Mizoram government understood the economic potentials from this sector, fruit wine enthusiasts said on Saturday

“Legalizing fruit wine making in the state will boost the state horticulture taking all stakeholders including farmers and wine makers,” Michael Syiem, president of the Forever Young Club told reporters during the Wine Festival organized by the organization.

Syiem pointed out that even a ‘dry state’ like Mizoram amended the Excise Act in 2007 to allow production of grape-based wine and further amended the Act in 2012, making it legal for brewing of all fruit-based wine.”

The Forever Young Club has been consistently organizing the Wine Festival in Shillong for 12 consecutive years now. Ironically, the organizer had to acquire a temporary bar license to hold the wine festival from the state government which shows lack of initiative to take wine making forward.

“We have been proposing to the government to declare wine making a cottage industry for the past 12 years but sadly government is not taking any steps to nurture this sector,” Syiem informed.

According to him, legalizing wine making will not only encourage wine makers but to a larger extend helps the farmers to give value addition to their products besides contributing to the state’s exchequer and could also be a source of employment generation.

Syiem said there are a lot of indigenous fruits which have been successfully tested for production of good wines and these could be produce and promoted like the famous ‘fenny’ in Goa. Among the famous fruit wines on display were Ginger, Mulberry fruit, Strawberry, Passion fruit, Blackberry, Plum, Banana, Jackfruit, Roselle, Sticky rice or even Cashew apple.

These are fermented and processed to produce a sensual variety of wines which are indigenous but also of very good quality.

“The ginger wine we make is soothing to a sore throat and is appropriate for the cold climate here especially with the advent of Winter,” said Angel Marbaniang, who has been fermenting wine in the backyard of her house in the city.

Brewers like Angel make wine as a hobby and not for commercial purposes even as few of them are producing 1000 plus bottles which are distributed among friends circle.- By Our Reporter