Bagalkot: If you have known that only grape from finest grapeyards go on to become exotic wine, wait for a while. The humble tomatoes too are going that direction.
After adding some zing to salads and desi curries, the juicy tomatoes have got a whole new identity. Unbelievable but true, tomato wine exhibited during the Bagalkot horticulture fest, held in the premises of Bagalkot Agriculture Sciences University was a great hit. The tomato wine was developed by the post-technology department students of Bagalkot Agriculture Sciences University for practice purpose.
No other wine stall grabbed the kind of attention that tomato wine stall managed to grab. While many wanted to taste the wine out of curiosity, they were disappointed because the product was only for display.
Tomato is not suitable for wine making because the sugar content in the base fruit needs to be high to make wine. While tomato has only 5-6 percent sweetness in it, the deficit of about 18-19 per cent is met by adding sugar, say sources. Further, the state excise deaprtment permits sale of only grape wine. However, there are four to five tomato wine preparation centres in the country which churn out wine for commercial use.
With the state having witnessed episodes of farmers destroying surplus tomato produce by dumping them on roads or simply feeding it to cattle, the state can have some serious thought on utilising tomatoes in wine making, opined a farmer from Kolar who was impressed by the idea.
