Rolling up the driveway of Hampi Heritage Vineyards, a winery outside the city of Bijapur in northern Karnataka, one is assailed by the sense of something abandoned. The days of its busy 400,000-litre-capacity cellar seem long gone. Removing my shoes to be permitted to enter, I was shown silently around the building by the son of the former member of parliament Ramesh Jigajinagi. Some persuasion finally produced a glass of 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, filled to the brim, for tasting. Suspicions were confirmed: the winery is not operational and there are no wines under the Hampi Heritage label in the market. In June 2015, I learnt Fratelli were to lease its facilities.