Mallaya starts a winery in Baramati

Baramati, Pune, Mar 27 (UNI) Liquor Baron Vijay Mallaya today started his 'winery' here with an investment of Rs 70 crore targetting production of around a million bottles annually.

Speaking to mediapersons, at the start of the first crushing season for his venture, Mallaya said that the first batch of wine will be ready in October.

To a query, he said the profits of the industry will be shared with grape farmers in Baramati. ''My share is 51 per cent and theirs will be 49 per cent, some share will also go to the Pawar family,'' he said.

Mallaya expressed hope that the government would allow wine which is ''food'' to be freely available in groceries and that beer and wine would be allowed in domestic flights. He said that the age limit for consuming liquor should also be lowered.

While interacting with the media, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said he had declined offer of shares in the winery project.

To other questions regarding former BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya's arrest in the embezzlement case, Pawar repeated that the law would take its own course. He refrained from commenting further.

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