Pune likely to become the hotbed of wine tourism

Junnar, in Pune district, being blessed with two Ashtavinayak temples, natural ghats (mountain passes), the Shivneri Fort, and around 350 caves, has been declared a ‘special tourism zone’ by the state government. Not just this, the state department of tourism is further set to add another jewel in the crown by launching the Junnar Grape Festival from this year.

The festival will be jointly organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) Resort Malshej Ghat and Junnar farmers. This festival will be held from February 16 to 19, and will focus on promoting grape agro-tourism and winery business. As per the records, the quality of wine in this region is also at par with Nashik.
As per the plan, tourists will be encouraged to visit grape farms, where they will be offered proper scope to buy different types of grapes. This initiative of wine tourism has been carved out to impart a healthy experience, where people get an opportunity to consume and also buy beverage on spot, while also enjoying the whole process, i.e., from processing the grapes to packaging the wine.
Referring to this development, Manager of MTDC Resort Malshej Ghat informed that the Junnar farmers produce grapes of supreme quality, but Nashik still takes all the cream. And this tour has been planned and developed in such a manner that it creates awareness, a market for them, and also promote agro-tourism in this region. He also ensured that this tour will have plenty of pleasant surprises, and the itinerary will also consider taking visitors to less explored places.