CUMBUM: Very few acolytes of Bachchus who sip the wine manufactured in Cumbum valley would be acquainted with the chequered beginning of this industry and even fewer people will care to learn about it.
Though the winery in Anamalaipatti near Cumbum will start producing wine either late August or early September of this year, the history itself dates back to the 1930s when two enterprising viticulturists in Dindigul toyed with the idea of starting a winery. These two brothers, W P A Soundarapandian and Rengasamy were pioneers in Indian wine production.
As soon as they obtained a licence from the government to start a winery, the machinery was imported and the technology obtained. When the crushing of grapes was about to begin, the pioneers’ wives objected to their husbands going into liquor production saying that they were planning to ruin the people. The opposition was so vehement, that the industry was shut down and the machinery shipped to Hyderabad.
However, Rengasamy’s son, the late Nagarajan, a renowned horticulturist and viticulturist of Pattiveeranpatti, revived the idea of a winery since grapes were already cultivated on a large scale in Theni and Dindigul districts. The farmers repeatedly asked the government to help them start a winery in Theni. The demands were accepted but never implemented.
Now the winery has become a reality with the Cumbum Valley Winery Ltd. launching its Rs 9.5 crore project. But even this project was not an overnight manifestation and has had a gestation period of nearly 13 years.
A major manufacturer of printers’ ink, R Raghu, the chairman of the winery, was attracted by the colourful bunches and the taste of the fruits, and so he bought a small plot at the far end of the valley. He first saw grapevine in the early 1990s and had watched a BBC programme on wine production. He then made up his mind to start a winery in the valley. He also wanted to help the grape cultivators who found it hard to market their crops.
There were the usual road blocks and hassles but he overcame them all to launch the industry. He was confident that there would be no need now for the cultivators to bury their fruits, or look for marketing facilities as his winery purchased all of their produce. He was also thankful to District Collector P Muthuveeran for his cooperation and assistance.
Permission for the winery was granted a year ago and it would change the industrial profile of the district, said Muthuveeran. He was told that the wines produced here would be on par in quality with other wines available in the market. The Cumbum valley wine would be marketed through TASMAC outlets, he added.
Padma Ravichandran, the general manager of the winery, described it as a dream project.
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