A reason to Cheer for diabetic wine lovers. A city reasearcher has invented the process to make wines from Jambul, an indigenous fruit with strong anti-diabetic characteristics. Not only this, but Padmakar Deshpande has also made wines from milk and banana also. After reading this, if you want to taste this stuff, you are standing with Dharmendra, Esha Deol and Amisha Patel.

A regular trainer with Mitcon, Deshpande was working on ideas to make wines from indigenous fruits. "World over, 90 percent wine is made from grapes. But the grape season lasts just two months here in India. Keeping this in view, I was experimenting on this. It will also increase demand and profitability of wines for locals," he says.

Deshpande’s idea seems to have become hit as he has got inquiries from Canada for his Jabul wine. "But I am not doing it commercially. Rather I would like to teach this process to others," said Deshpande. He is expecting to get a patent for the same.

Deshpande’s feats include making wine from milk and coconut also. He claims to have learnt it from Adivasis. Some of the wines made from indigenous fruits have been consumed by celebrities also. According to him, "Some friends did took these wines to Dharmendra, his daughter Esha Deol and Amisha Patel also."

(Published in Pune Mirror on 14 April 2008)