 Su Birch, the CEO of WOSA says many of the European importers are also planning to bring their customers for the games. “There has been enormous interest, in particular from the European media in visiting South Africa for the tournament. Our intention is to ensure that the visiting foreign trade and media are exposed to our producers and activities in the winelands while they are here. We’ll give them a taste of true South African hospitality for which we have become famous. They’ll experience the spontaneous African warmth and excitement surrounding the games and get to taste our wines in a new context.”
This means that the bi-annual Cape Wine, the most respected wine show of South Africa will be given the go by next year when it is due to be hosted in September. ‘It would be unwise to expect buyers to return after such a short interval, especially in the present global recession,’ says Su, adding, ‘we have decided to focus on the World Cup next year, instead of dissipating our resources and holding Cape Wine three months later.’
“Cape Wine will resume in 2012 but in the meantime, we’ll maintain our strategy of taking our wines to key markets to ensure decision-makers and influencers are kept abreast of developments and innovation in our industry.”
As reported by delWine , Su Birch was recently honoured by the leading UK journal, The Drinks Business, as Woman of the Year for her role in the enormous advances made by the South African wine industry on international markets over the past decade.
South Africa is the ninth biggest wine producer in the world, representing 3% of global output. For the 12 months to April this year the country exported 403 million litres of wine, recording a growth of 17%, despite the undergoing recession.
WOSA is planning to lay greater emphasis to reaching consumers directly. Last month, it ran an innovative campaign, ‘The Great South African Wine Trail’ in UK and brought the flavours of South African wines to over a million consumers. A branded, double-decker hybrid, carbon-neutral bus hosted by South African winemakers, traveled to eight major cities including Edinburgh. Visitors were able to sample wines and talk to the winemakers and also learn about the country’s eco-initiatives.
The 2010 Commonwealth games organisers and Indian wine producers must take a big lesson from the planned South African initiatives. The Nashik Grape Growers Association and/or the wine producers need to come on a common platform and showcase their wines. The National Grape Board can also be roped in for support. It would be a pity if this golden opportunity to showcase Indian wines is lost.
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