Philippines planning to create 'iconic' wine from coconut

MANILA, Philippines- A government agency is undertaking a project that would produce an “iconic" Filipino wine from coconut, that could be in the leagues of Russia’s vodka, France’s champagne or Japan’s sake. The Philippine Coconut Authority has signed a memorandum of agreement with local wine maker Marius Diaz to start discovering a technology which could turn coconut wine into a cultural product that the Philippines could export. The P5.5 million project, which seeks to produce 7,200 liters of “Nilak" or 9,600 bottles (750 ml) each of Nilak, is funded by the Japanese government. Diaz, who studied the culture of wine-making in France, said most of the funds will go to importing “cultured yeast" and other vinificants from the Champagne Institute of France. “We are interested in producing an iconic cultural product from the Philippines. This will even be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia," Diaz told reporters. Garin, on the other hand, added that Diaz will have 12 months to finish discovering the technology and then the government will come up with its marketing strategy to sell the product both locally and even overseas. - GMANews.TV