Speaking at the inauguration of the North East Wine Incubation Centre in Mawdiangdiang, Shillong, the Chief Minister outlined a comprehensive policy designed to foster a thriving ecosystem that intertwines tourism, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and job creation through the promotion of local fruit winemakers. He emphasized that the initiative connects tourism, agriculture, and job creation, presenting the potential to unleash latent capacities lying dormant within the state. The Chief Minister stated that the Incubation Centre has been envisioned to create a shift from wine made from grapes to fruit wines, focusing on local fruits and move towards making Meghalaya “the Fruit Wine Capital of India. “This initiative which is a collaboration between the Meghalaya Farmers Welfare Commission and IHM, Shillong will be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs and wine makers of Meghalaya and the North East,” the Chief Minister further said.
The inauguration of NEFWIC is just the beginning of the unveiling of Meghalaya Fruit Wines to the world. MFEC hopes to further explore the marketing potential of Fruit Wines by supporting Fruit Winemakers to improve their product quality through technology induction and capacity building. Meghalaya Fruit Wines will also be unveiled at Vinexpo India, IICC Dwarka, New Delhi from 7th to 9th December 2023 where Priyanka Save, Fruit Wine Ambassador of Meghalaya will be conducting a Masterclass to showcase the variants of Fruit Wines being produced from the state.
Fruit wine production in Meghalaya dates back to 1947 when Captain Harold Douglas Hunt established a winery in Mawphlang after obtaining a license from the then Governor of Assam, Sir Akbar Hydari. The winery produced the famous Mawphlang Cherry wine and Cherry brandy from the fruits of Sohiong (Prunus nepalensis) and gained popularity across the country. The winery ceased operations in the 1980s, post Captain Hunt’s death but since then, other hobbyist winemakers have continued making Sohiong wine and expanded to include other fruits as well. The Shillong Wine Festival, initiated in 2002 by Michael Syiem of the Forever Young Club and the president of the Meghalaya Association of Wine Makers, has further boosted fruit wine making in the region and has become an annual tourist attraction. The annual Wine Festivals championed by Mr. Micheal Syiem, became a platform for local winemakers to showcase local homemade wines made from indigenous fruits and popularising Meghalaya as the home for Fruit Wines in the North-East. However, since fruit winemaking was considered to be more of a hobbyist activity, it was never legalised by the State government and the industry could not flourish or expand beyond state boundaries.
It was only when local wines from Meghalaya were showcased alongside wines from different parts of the country at the exhibition of Local Wines at the B2B Food Exhibition – The Northeast Food Show in 2019 that the potential of Meghalaya’s Fruit Wines as an enterprise was realised. The North East Food Show 2019 by SIAL, organized jointly by the Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship (MIE), the Meghalaya Farmers’(Empowerment) Commission (MFEC), 1917iTEAMS and the Directorate of Food Processing (DOFP) in Shillong also highlighted the need for quality improvement not only in the wine but also with regards to the packaging, labelling and marketing. Recognizing the potential of fruit wines in addressing the wastage of perishable agricultural produce in the supply chain and for employment generation in the value chain, including tourism, the Meghalaya Farmers’ (Empowerment) Commission together with the Excise Department started exploring the legalisation of Homemade Wines.
In September 2020, the Government of Meghalaya amended the Meghalaya Excise Rules (Assam Excise Rules 1945) through a notification dated 29th September 2020 (No. ERTS (E)7/2020/52), to legalize the production and sale of Homemade Wines under license to provide a legal avenue for local Winemakers to carry out winemaking as a commercial venture. This amendment was adopted with the intent of not only creating an opportunity for Wine Tourism but also to provide an impetus to the horticulture sector to undertake cultivation and production of indigenous fruits on a commercial scale. This move has created new opportunities for wine makers, entrepreneurs, and farmers in the state.
The Farmers' (Empowerment) Commission has taken on the responsibility of expanding the market scope for locally produced fruit wines by providing capacity-building programs for efficient support of the local wine-making industry. To facilitate these programs, IHMCTAN has been engaged to organize the training programs and build an ecosystem for fruit-wine making in our state. As part of its capacity building mandate, the Commission also organized exposure visits for winemakers and officials to the Indian wine industry in Nashik and international wine exhibitions like VinExpo India in Mumbai and Delhi. The Commission firmly believes that embracing modern technology and implementing innovative practices are crucial for improving the quality of local fruit wines.
To support local winemakers through training, MFEC has established the First Model Fruit Wine Making Winery – THE NORTH EAST FRUIT WINE INCUBATION CENTRE (NEFWIC) at the Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition campus. This facility serves as a practical training ground equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, enabling winemakers from across the Northeast to produce wines that meet national and global standards. In line with this commitment, MFEC is hosting Wine Appreciation & Wine Making Certification Courses at NEFWIC to explore the art, science, and process of fruit wine making. These courses bring together wine enthusiasts, connoisseurs, and industry professionals for a unique opportunity to understand fruit wines and explore winemaking.
The Certification Courses are being conducted by the founders of Hill Zill Wines, the Training Partner for the Wine Appreciation & Wine Making Certification Courses, a pioneering husband and wife team who have successfully established the world's first chikoo fruit winery. Priyanka Save, Founder & Director of Hill Zill Wines and Himachal Nectars, is a pioneer in Fruit Wine Making in the country having created the First Chickoo Fruit Wine in the world under the Brand Name Fruzzante. She has been officially notified as the Fruit Wine Ambassador for Meghalaya by MFEC. As an expert in Fruit Wine Making, she will guide local winemakers in adopting new techniques and technologies to enhance wine quality as well as utilise local horticultural produce for creating exotic Fruit Wines that would serve as the backbone of wine tourism for the state.
The Wine Appreciation & Wine Making Certification Courses have been organised by MFEC at NEFWIC with the aim of encouraging local winemakers to transition from the traditional art of winemaking to modern winemaking techniques to ensure that the quality of wine produced in the state matches nationally and internationally recognized wine standards. “As a Commission our goal is to make Meghalaya the Fruit Wine Capital of the country just like Nashik has become the Grape Wine Capital,” has often been stated by Mr. K. N. Kumar, Chairman of the MFEC. Having been actively involved in the formulation of the current policy, the Meghalaya Farmers’ (Empowerment) Commission (MFEC) has now taken on the yoke of responsibility to provide an impetus not only for winemakers but also for consumers and businesses to actively undertake the promotion and consumption of local fruit wines in the country to ensure that Meghalaya is at the forefront of fruit wine production and refinement throughout the northeast.
