Four Seasons, the wine division of the United Breweries Group, is setting up a Vinotherapy spa at Baramati as part of its new wine tourism initiative that is due for launch early next year.

Events

Very popular in Europe where the concept originated, Vinotherapy is a process in which grape juice and the residue of the wine-making process such as pips and pulp are used for various treatments.

“We expect to launch the pa around January when we launch wine tourism,” Abhay Kewadkar, chief winemaker and Business Head for wines, the UB Group said.

Four Seasons has lately stepped up its wine promotional activities and has organised several wine and food pairing events in major cities. A couple of months ago, it inked an agreement with Weber Grills, US-based maker of charcoal and gas grills, to partner it pan-India in hosting events to pair wines with grilled food.

First phase

Cities like Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Goa have been identified for the first phase of the co-marketing exercise. Though the initial agreement is for a one-year period, the agreement is renewable, Kewadkar said.

Four Seasons is also in talks with international manufacturers of wine glasses like Schott Zwiesel and Riedel for similar tie-ups. “Our aim is to educate wine drinkers but also want them to learn to relax and stop worrying about what wine is to be paired with which food,” he explains.

Four Seasons Wines, which says it has a current market share of 15-20 per cent, expects to sell 1.5 million bottles during the current fiscal.

The company has invested a total of Rs 100 crore at Baramati and has installed capacity to scale up to 12 million bottles annually.

>alka.kshirsagar@thehindu.co.in

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