For the first time, the Jakarta Wine Festival will be held from August 31, 2023, 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.
The Jakarta Wine Festival is initiated by Pritha Casadevall and Poetri Andayani. It all started with the Jakarta Wine Club Series community, founded by Pritha in 2019. With a membership of 480 people and regular wine education activities, they decided to expand their efforts. “We want to provide a platform for everyone to learn about wine in a form of edutainment,” said Pritha.
“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.
The development of local wine and cheese is one of the highlights of the festival. The rapid growth of local wineries places Indonesia on the world wine map as one of the producers of New Latitude Wine (wine produced in equatorial regions). Similarly, local cheese has seen significant growth. Local cheese makers are able to produce cheese of the same quality as European varieties. Pritha hopes 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.
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. 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. Thera is also Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 1 certification for those who aim to be professionals. Prominent figures in the Indonesian wine world, including sommeliers like Pritha Casadevall, Kerta Widyawati, Ponti Young, Sansan Pratama, and Kiki Moka, will be teaching these workshops. Beyond wine, there will also be cooking classes and art workshops, such as watercolour painting and art workshops focused on recycling wine bottles. The appreciation and celebration of art will be reflected in an exhibition featuring unique works by Indonesian sculptor Adi Gunawan.
Visitors can indulge in wine and food tasting. More than 300 local and international wine varieties can be sampled by purchasing a wine tasting token priced at Rp349,000, which includes 5 wine tastings and 1 glass. To avoid mistakes in choosing wine, beginners can take part in the Jakarta Wine Festival private tour, which provides explanations about wine from all the vendors before using their tokens.
For food enjoyment, a food token worth Rp200,000 can be exchanged for a cheese platter, oysters, and food from participating Ashta vendors. In an effort to support the environment, tasting glasses will not be provided by the vendors. Instead, tasting glasses will be provided through tokens, which also include a wine glass that can be taken home. In collaboration with recycling partner Octopus Indonesia, wine bottles that are no longer in use will be 100% recycled.
Early bird token sales with special prices start from August 7 to August 15, 2023. Token purchases can be made through the Traveloka and JKTGO applications. For more information about the Jakarta Wine Festival, visit the Instagram account @jakartawinefest.
The day before the festival, the largest Grand Tasting event in Indonesia will be held. Exclusively attended by VVIP guests, this event will feature all wine importers in Indonesia. “We want to raise awareness among the public about consuming legal and safe alcoholic beverages,” said Reimer Simorangkir, Chairman of the Association of Importers and Distributors of Imported Beverages (APIDMI). He also added that purchasing legal alcoholic beverages contributes to the country’s revenue through import duties.
