When I first heard that Vinitaly, the world’s most celebrated wine festival, is coming to Mumbai and Goa, my first reaction was pure excitement – and then mild panic. Excitement because, as a culinary student, wine has always felt like a distant, elegant cousin to food – mysterious, complex, always spoken of in hushed tones of reverence. Panic because, let’s be honest, most of us in India are still learning how to tell a Sauvignon Blanc from a Chenin Blanc without pretending we know.
But this – this is different. Vinitaly isn’t just a wine festival. It’s a sensory pilgrimage. Every year, Verona in Italy turns into a global cathedral of wine – 4,000 exhibitors, 125,000 visitors, hundreds of masterclasses and tastings that make even the air smell like fermenting dreams. And now, this incredible experience is packing its corkscrews and coming to India – first to the heartbeat of business, Mumbai, and then to the heart of leisure, Goa.
As someone who grew up in Goa, surrounded by the easy rhythm of beachside cafés and toddy tales, the idea of Vinitaly arriving here feels surreal. It’s like Italy is sending us a love letter – one written in the language of grapes and oak barrels.
In culinary school, we’re taught that food is memory, but wine – wine is language. Every bottle tells you about its soil, its weather, its patience. And India is finally ready to listen.
Wine consumption here is growing faster than any of us expected. From fine-dining restaurants in Mumbai to cozy vineyard tours in Nashik, people are beginning to appreciate that wine isn’t just a drink; it’s a dialogue. According to the Vinitaly Observatory, India’s wine market is projected to grow over 40% by 2028 – and that’s not just statistics; that’s a cultural awakening.
When Vinitaly comes, it will bring with it more than bottles – it will bring education. Masterclasses, pairing workshops, tasting rooms, sommelier certifications – the kind of exposure culinary students like me can only dream of. It will give us the chance to not just taste wine but understand it.
In our oenology lectures, we swirl, sniff, and sometimes struggle. The textbook says “notes of cherry, cedar, and tobacco,” and we sit there thinking, this just smells like… wine. But when you’re in front of real vintners – people who have spent generations coaxing life out of vines – it becomes art.
Vinitaly’s arrival in Mumbai and Goa will turn that classroom curiosity into real-world learning. Imagine standing beside an Italian winemaker explaining how climate change is altering the grape harvest, or a Goan sommelier discussing how local seafood pairs with crisp white Italian wines. That’s education that lingers longer than any lecture.
For Indian culinary students, this is a chance to see how food and wine are inseparable partners. In Mumbai’s high-end restaurants, chefs are already experimenting – butter chicken paired with a bold Shiraz, coastal prawn curry balanced with an Italian Vermentino. And in Goa, I can already imagine pop-up dinners by the beach, featuring Italian wines alongside Goan chouriço, bebinca, and local shellfish.
Beyond the romance of it all, there’s a serious business story here. Mumbai, India’s financial capital, will become the marketplace for global wine brands seeking Indian partners. Importers, distributors, hotels, and restaurateurs will all find new opportunities.
In Goa, where tourism and gastronomy go hand in hand, Vinitaly could reshape the hospitality landscape. Boutique resorts might host wine-tasting weekends. Local producers – from fruit wines to cashew feni innovators – might find inspiration to elevate their craft. And for young chefs and sommeliers, it means exposure to international standards, connections, and perhaps even global internships.
There’s also a ripple effect: farmers in Nashik and Karnataka could see increased demand for Indian wines. Restaurants will expand their wine menus. Tourists might start choosing destinations for their wine experiences, not just their beaches.
Of course, wine in India still carries mixed perceptions. It’s seen as luxurious, sometimes intimidating. Not everyone can afford it, and in some states, alcohol still comes wrapped in moral hesitation.
That’s where Goa plays a unique role. Our state has always been a bridge between the world and India – a space where cultures blend, where a glass of wine can be both a conversation starter and a tradition in the making.
If Vinitaly embraces that spirit – by collaborating with local chefs, highlighting regional flavors, and involving hospitality students – it could make wine less about status and more about story. It could make wine Indian in its accessibility, Goan in its warmth, and global in its ambition.
For me, personally, the idea of walking through Vinitaly’s exhibition halls in Mumbai or tasting tents in Goa feels like stepping into a living classroom. I imagine meeting Italian producers talking about fermentation as passionately as we Goans talk about our grandmother’s curries. I imagine holding a glass of Chianti next to a plate of cafreal and realizing – maybe the world isn’t that far apart after all.
Because at its heart, wine is about connection – between land and sky, between maker and drinker, between cultures that may never speak the same language but can share the same table.
When the first Vinitaly in India opens its doors, it will mark more than a festival – it will mark a turning point. For India’s food and wine culture, for our hospitality industry, and for students like me who believe that food is the truest form of storytelling.
In Mumbai, it will be ambition that fills the air – the city where dreams ferment like good wine. In Goa, it will be joy – the lazy laughter of waves and wine glasses clinking under the palms.
And as I picture it, I can almost hear the words that will echo through both cities: Salute! — not just to Italy, but to India’s growing love affair with the art of taste.
Because this time, when the world raises a glass, India will raise one right back – filled with possibility, sunshine, and maybe just a hint of Goan spice.
(Kianna Rodrigues is a second-year student of Culinary Science at V. M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE), passionate about exploring the intersections of food, culture, and sustainability.)
