About Umpohliew Wines
The story of Umpohliew Wines, a Meghalaya winery founded in 2020
How Umpohliew Wines Began
Umpohliew Wines was founded in 2020 in Shillong, Meghalaya, out of a simple observation: the Khasi Hills grow extraordinary fruit that had never been made into serious wine.
Sohiong, Bayberry, wild apple and plum grow wild and cultivated across the region, often underused or left to waste.
We set out to change that, building a winery around indigenous fruit rather than imported grapes.
The Wine Makers
Umpohliew Wines is led by Jason Ward Kharkongor and Kazan Sentilong Kaping. In 2023, Jason achieved Rank No. 1 in Meghalaya in the state’s official Wine Making Certification Programme, conducted by the Meghalaya Farmers’ (Empowerment) Commission, earning the highest overall score among all participants and certification as a professional winemaker.
That certification became the foundation of the winery: formal winemaking knowledge applied to fruit most winemakers have never worked with. Rather than following imported grape wine conventions, Jason and Kazan’s approach starts with what Meghalaya already grows and works out how to bring the best of each fruit into the glass. It’s a slower, more experimental way of making wine, but one that produces something genuinely native to Northeast India.
Recognition &
Achievements
- No.1 Rank Holder in Meghalaya Wine Making Certification Programme
- Participant at Vinexpo India 2024, Mumbai
- Top 75 Entrepreneur – PRIME Meghalaya CM E‐Championship Challenge 5.0
- Recipient of PRIME Meghalaya Go‐To‐Market Support
- Indian Responsible Tourism State Awards Meghalaya 2025 – One to Watch (Sustainable Experiences: Food)
- Featured in Local Samosa: ‘How India’s Northeast is Building a Wine Culture All Its Own’
bring Home a taste of meghalaya
Every bottle carries the taste of Meghalaya. Tell us what you are looking for and we will be glad to help.