Hyderabad: Grape festival back in city after a gap of 2 years

Rajendranagar: The Grape Festival at Rajendranagar has finally come to soothe the souls of people after a gap of two years as the Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University has thrown open the festival (exhibition-cum-sale) for public at Grape Research Station, Rajendranagar. The three-day festival will conclude on Monday.

The most-fancied part of the festival is that one can taste and take away the mouth-watering fruit simply by plucking through their own hands. In a serene environment full of vegetation around, the Grape Research Station is located just 2 kilometres away from Dairy Farm crossroad at pillar No 215 of PVNR expressway in Rajendranagar. Spread on a sprawling area of 2 acres, the orchard has nearly 35 varieties of grapes that include table, wine, raisin and juice varieties.

Priyanka Varghese, IFS, OSD (Haritha Haram) to Chief Minister accompanied by Dr D Vijaya, Head, Grape Research Station, Rajendranagar went round the rooms to enquire about the varieties of grapes at the research station. While explaining about the grape varieties, Dr D Vijaya said, "We raised nearly 35 varieties of grapes this time at the research station.

Varieties like Kishmish Rozaviz White, Merbein Seedless, Thompson Seedless and 2A Clone provide nutritionally-rich raisin, while ARI516 or MACS 516, Gulabi X Bangalore (Purple), Manjari Medika, Arka Shyam, Concord and Bangalore Blue are suitable for juicing during the summer season." She further said that wine varieties such as Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc would help ferment emollient cocktails.

However, the grape lovers would miss the variety of 'Anab-e-Shahi' this time, introduced in Hyderabad by Abdul Baquer Khan from middle east somewhere around 1890 as the vines have failed to bear fruit due to inclement climatic conditions.