The South African wine industry will host its biggest ever showcase for the international wine fraternity, with the official opening of Cape Wine 2006 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Tuesday, April 4, by South Africa's Minister of Agriculture Thoko Didiza, reports www.wine.co.za. Over 340 wineries are participating in the biennial exhibition that is attracting wine buyers, sommeliers and journalists from every continent. Already the targeted number of 1,000 delegates has been exceeded with that many registered a week ahead of the show and more bookings flowing in daily. Notable among the delegates are representatives from all the major supermarket chains in the UK, which is still South Africa's biggest export destination, as well as strong contingents from Europe, North America, Africa and Asia, said Su Birch, CEO, Wines of South Africa (WOSA), which is presenting the three-day event.

"Not only is this the biggest event in the history of the South African wine industry, but it is also the first time since its inception in 2000 that Cape Wine is being opened by a cabinet minister, indicating the high level of commitment from Government," Birch said.

The wine industry currently contributes R163bn (163 billion rands; one rand is the equivalent of Rs 7) a year to South Africa's GDP and employs 257,000 people either directly and indirectly, while an additional R4.2bn (4.2 billion rands) is generated every year through wine tourism.

Delegates, Birch said, represented a well-balanced mix of established and emerging markets. "It is important for our industry to gain access to a range of markets so producers can operate across a wide geographic reach, reducing exposure and thus vulnerability in individual markets," Birch said. She is particularly pleased at the strong turnout from countries such as India , Hong Kong , Singapore , Indonesia , Mala ysia and Vietnam , as well as the high number of delegates from African countries, including Botswana , Angola , Mozambique , Nigeria , Ghana , Kenya and Ethiopia . Brazil , the biggest economy in Latin America, is also represented, as is Russia .

"In emerging Asian economies, where personal disposable income and conspicuous consumption are on the rise, wine is seen as a symbol of sophistication. These countries are thus integral to the long-term strategies of our producers. We are also heartened by the support from African countries that have historically turned exclusively to Europe to supply their wines. And we are looking forward to exploring the potential of the Russian market which we believe could offer some exciting possibilities," Birch said. Local wine buyers and restaurateurs will also be able to keep up to date with new wine developments among the country's leading corporate, boutique and independent garagiste producers, when they attend on the second and third days of the event, April 5 and 6.

Cape Wine 2006 will open with the world's first seminar on wine diversity. Speakers will include a specialist on future trends among consumers, a wine business analyst, retailers, viticulturists and authorities on biodiversity.

Wine Diversity as the choice of topic for the seminar not only accentuates the abundant biodiversity of the Cape, but also strongly supports the highly progressive Biodiversity and Wine Initiative, a partnership between the local wine industry and the conservation sector aimed at minimising any further loss to the highly threatened Cape Floral Kingdom (CFK), the smallest on the planet but home to 9 600 plant species., more than found in the entire Northern Hemisphere. Some 90% of local wine production occurs within the CFK, which is also a World Heritage site and a conservation hotspot.

"It is the same diversity that gives rise to complex, distinctive and varied wines for which we have become known and which provide the basis for our positioning -- 'Variety is in our Nature' -- that we use worldwide to express our uniqueness," Birch explained.

Delegates will be treated to a regional wine and food pairing, already sold out, entitled Cape Kontrei Cuisine, where 19 chefs, many of them culinary luminaries, will each prepare a signature dish with a regional flavour, matched by a wine of the same region. These will be presented in two giant marquees erected in the Company Gardens , where the Cape 's first vineyards were planted by Jan van Riebeeck and made into wine for the first time in 1659.