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THE first Jakarta Wine Festival 2023 brings wine education to all audiences in a unique setting from August 31 to September 2, 2023, at Astha Mall District 8. This wine celebration event will showcase hundreds of wine varieties from various parts of the world in one place and also offer various wine education sessions.
According to Pritha Casadevall, wine consultant and one of the founders of JWF 2023, at press conference at Astha Mall District 8, on Wednesday (8/30), 2023 said we want to provide a platform for everyone to learn especially for today’s young people lifestyle about wine in a form of edutainment.
“As we reliazed that wine lovers are increasing in Indonesia. This alcoholic beverage made from fermented wine has begun to be considered as part of daily life and lifestyle, not only enjoyed when attending formal events. However, consumers in Indonesia cannot yet appreciate local products. Its popularity is still inferior to imported wine which still dominates the market,” she said.
It’s even sadder because there are more local wine enthusiasts than our own people. In Indonesia, there are only two wine producers namely Sababay and Hatten Wines which both operate in Bali. According to Phrita, these two brands meet the criteria for wine that is competitive with imported products.
“Even though they already have good quality fermentation machines, the aging process is also very concerned, as is the marketing. The problem goes back to underestimating the market, even though consumer acceptance has been better in the last five years,” explained Pritha, who is a certified professional sommelier.
With these qualifications, she continued, Indonesia is worthy enough to be in the ‘new world wine’ category of wine producers along with Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and the United States. These countries are new players in the global wine industry.
The ‘old world wine’ includes countries in Europe and the Middle East, which have a long history as producers of classic wine. “Regulations related to the industry are also more established and flexible,” added Pritha.
“So back at Jakarta Wine Festival is art of celebration, is the inclusive theme that brings together wine enthusiasts, art enthusiasts, and anyone interested in celebrating life. Therefore, the Jakarta Wine Festival collaborates with individuals from various fields, age groups, and backgrounds to appreciate life’s celebrations through wine, art, and cuisine.
Pritha explained that the celebration theme does not overshadow the educational aspect, which is a focus of the Jakarta Wine Festival. There are a total of 20 workshops covering wine, art, culinary, mental health, and sustainability.
She continued these workshops are designed for both wine beginners and experts. Workshops on wine varietals, wine glass recognition, how to read a wine menu, and more, will be held for the beginners. For more advanced enthusiasts, there are workshops on wine and cheese pairing, wine and seafood pairing, and food pairing with renowned chefs.
“I hope that the growth of the wine and culinary industry in Indonesia will create job opportunities in the tourism sector and contribute to the government’s sustainable economic goals,” she remarked.
Visitors can of course try the wine and food that is presented. More than 300 types of local and foreign wine can be tasted by purchasing a wine tasting token for IDR349,000 which can be exchanged for 5 wine tastings and 1 glass. To avoid mistakes in choosing wine, beginners can take part in the Jakarta Wine Festival private tour to get an explanation about wine from all tenants before using the token.
Apart from wine, cooking classes and art workshops such as watercolor are also held painting, and art workshops from recycling wine bottles. Appreciation and celebration of art stated in the exhibition which presents the work of Indonesian sculptor artist Adi Gunawan showing off some of his unique collections and upcycle wine bottle painting artist, Diego Berel.
Meanwhile Reimer Simorangkir, Chairman of the Association of Importers and Distributors of Imported Beverages (APIDMI) said we want to raise awareness among the public about consuming legal and safe alcoholic beverages especially wines. With purchasing legal alcoholic beverages contributes to the country’s revenue through import duties. [traveltext.id]
