The Champhai and Hnahlan Grape Winery Ltd was established in 2007 and is the only winery in the region. They have a production unit in Champhai and another in Hnahlan.
Image copyright The Aizawal Post
These production units only became operational in 2010 after the Mizoram Government had revised the Liquor Total Prohibition Act 1997. Prior to the revision of the 1997 Act, grapes were being sold as table fruit or pressed for juice. The winery is operated under Government of Mizoram supervision and under current regulations production must be consumed in Mizoram.
The first wine was released in September 2010 with the name Zawlaidi, which translates as “love potion”. It’s described on the label as “Red Port Wine”. One suspects that this might be due to the grapes having only a low sugar content when harvested and hence only being capable of producing a low-alcohol wine when fermented. Distilled neutral alcohol has been added to boost the overall abv to 14%.
| Introduction | Climate | Grapes |