Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

Legislation and regulations in the South African wine industry run with an efficiency that would make an Army General smile. This is according to CEO of WOSA Su Birch in reaction to ungrounded reports about South African wine legislation changes.

Rumours were reported that “South African wine plan breaches European laws” by changing legislation to allow water to be added to wine.

Birch indicated that she could not believe how fast this ungrounded rumour spread and indicated that “If it is not allowed in the EU, then it is not allowed in SA wines going to the EU. Full stop.”  

Iconic South African wine brand ,Kumkani , salutes the efforts of WOSA in this regard and we support their efforts to act as the mouth piece of South African wine.

Read Su’s article: wosa.co.za

South Africa was the international flavour month (or the year) with the hosting of Africa’s first and an immensely successful World Cup.

This ‘flavour of the month’ tag gave rise to greater wine  exports, especially to counties with strong soccer interests. This is according to Su Birch , CEO of WOSA.

She indicated that exports of South African wines  have been boosted by the international spotlight on South Africa as a result of hosting the World Cup.
She added that there had been “a marked increase in sales” in countries with a strong interest in soccer even before the event began. “For the six months to the end of June the volumes of packaged wines exported to Germany rose by an impressive 50 percent,”she said.

“Wine exports to the US, which bought more tickets to attend the games than any other country, increased by 32 percent. Sales in Canada, Finland, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland all achieved double-digit growth.”

She said other developments had been a 33 percent growth in exports to Japan and a more than doubling of sales to the United Arab Emirates and China, although from a smaller base.

I think it is great that the world is beginning to realise that SA is producing excellent wines and that iconic SA wines brands like Kumkani is getting the praise it deserves. 

Source: busrep.co.za

The ever popular Stellenbosch Wine Festival has taken a different format this year as festival goers will be visiting the farms. The wines from the company of winepeople^TM have arranged a lovely programme and activities for festival goers.

Bring the family and come and enjoy some of the best wines in one of the most beautiful parts of the county.

Arniston Bay, Kumkani, Versus and Welmoed will the wines that will be showcased at this great festival.

Here are some more details about what we’re planning for the Stellenbosch Wine Festival:

• Kiddies corner: Face painting, jumping Castle, colouring in fun
• Tickle your tummies: Spitbraai/ potjiekos. The Duck Pond restaurant will be open daily.
• Free wine tasting!
• Specials on selected wines daily
• A complimentary cool de sac with every case of wine purchased, and other POS materials on sale.
• Foosball fun
• Massages for the ladies
• A jazz band
• A magician

For more info about the Stellenbosch Wine Festival please visit wineroute.co.za

South African wine industry has come a long way and recently some international wine critics were full of praise for the transformation of our wines to quality and premium wines.

The Rainbow nation is no stranger to transformation and similarly, its wine industry is an excellent case study on how to bring about a major change. This according to wine critic, Brian Elliot. He added that making large volumes of poor-quality wine was ditched once international help pointed out that South African winegrowing areas were especially suited to premium, rather than value, wines. This paved the way for more reds and for sophisticated and complex wines of any type – which are less price-sensitive.

This point of view is shared by Chief Wine critic of the New York Times ,Eric Asimov. He notes “The most surprising thing is the consistently good quality. South Africa today is teeming with good Chenin Blanc, wines of freshness and character, at prices that make them exceptional value.”

Brian Elliot also praises South African  wine companies and indicated that “This skilled winemaking is also evident in large-scale operations like the company of wine people^TM. From its Arniston Bay brand, through the Fairtrade Thandi wines to the rich and aromatic Kumkani range, the professionalism shines through. Kumkani’s top-of-the-range Sauvignon Blanc has vibrant flavours of flint and gooseberry reminiscent of Sancerre”.

Source: scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com

Congratulations to Rob Ambler, Janine Peters and Charm Mobothe. They are the winners of double tickets to The Wine Show Joburg. Enjoy the show.
  

Wines of South Africa (WOSA)  received the trophy for Best Consumer Campaign at the 2010 Drinks Business Awards, held during the London International Wine Fair.  WOSA beat some very prestigious companies, including Hendricks, Hardys and Champagne Lanson, to take home the prize.

The award was given for their sustainability campaign, which included the Great South African Wine Trail – a sampling tour of eight major UK cities, with an eye-catching, carbon-neutral, green bus – and their work with Kew Gardens.

Iconic South African wine brand Kumkani, congratulates WOSA for winning this award and for their efforts to promote South African wine. 

Read more on www.wosa.co.za

A co-operative effort between normally competing wine producers from the New World countries at the ProWein trade show in Düsseldorf, Germany, this year was so successful that it has been agreed to repeat it next year.

This is according to Su Birch, chief executive of Wines of South Africa, (WOSA) the generic marketing authority for South Africa’s wine exports.

A spokesperson for Wosa said their joint exhibition, in-depth lectures, wine tastings and panel discussions at the show drew capacity crowds with latecomers having to be turned away.

The show attracted record crowds of more than 36 000 trade delegates from around the world and even though the seminar programme was repeated four times daily throughout the four day event the level of interest was so high the organisers could not meet the demand for seats. “We had hoped for a good turnout but the level of interest far exceeded our expectations,” a spokesperson said.

Kumkani Brand News

Iconic South African brand, Kumkani congratulates WOSA with this initiative and their efforts at the ProWien trade show.

Read more on busrep.co.za

Two South African restaurants are again on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list.

S. Pellegrino released their highly anticipated yearly list of the World’s Best Restaurants  and El Bulli, after four years at the top has been knocked off its perch by Denmark’s Nomu.

The big news for South Africa however it that Constantia Uitsig’s La Colombe has moved up 26 places since last year to take a very impressive  number 12 spot.  Another regular South African restaurant on the list, Le Quartier Français, moved up 6 positions to number 31.

A huge achievement for both these restaurants in a very important year for South Africa.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy compiles this list of restaurants. The panel includes 806 people including top chefs, gourmands, restaurateurs and food critics.

Iconic South African wine brand Kumkani,  congratulates these restaurants for their achievement and for setting the standard.

Read more on news24

The Cape Winemakers Guild has awarded study bursaries to two oenology and viticulture students at Elsenburg College as part of its ongoing Protégé program to further the development of young aspiring winemakers. The bursaries provide the students with financial support during their final year of study, after which they may become eligible for the Guild’s three year internship program.

This year’s recipients of the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Bursaries are Chandré Petersen, who hails from Paarl and Sifiso Mbhele from Bergville in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Chandré fell in love with wine’s “mystical qualities” at an early age, especially reds, thanks to her father and hopes to specialise in Pinotage, Merlot and Chenin Blanc one day. “I grew up in a famous winemaking area, Paarl, and hardly heard of a woman winemaker. It became a huge challenge to me and I am now determined to succeed in the wine industry,” says Chandré.

Sifiso has his sights set on becoming a cellarmaster one day. “In South Africa, winemaking is a scarce skill that offers a lot of opportunities. I want to enlighten the people from where I come from about winemaking and wine itself and as a future winemaker, encourage the youth to make winemaking their career.”

Once they have graduated, both aspiring winemakers will be interviewed for the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme, which offers students a three year internship during which time they will have the opportunity to learn from, and work alongside some of the country’s best winemakers who are members of the Guild.

This is the second year in which the Guild has offered these bursaries. Last year’s bursary holders, Sacha Claassen and Tamsyn Jefta, were both welcomed on board the Guild’s Protégé Programme in 2010 and have begun their internships at Villiera and The Company of Wine People respectively.

The Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme was launched in 2006 under the auspices of the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Trust with the goal of bringing about transformation in the wine industry by cultivating, nurturing and empowering promising individuals to become winemakers of excellence.

Kumkani Brand  News

We think it is a great initiative by the Cape Winemaker Guild and we are delighted to have Tamsyn Jefta (photo) on our winemaking team.

Read more on wine.co.za

The South African wine industry has launched the world’s first sustainability seal as a guarantee of eco-friendly production.

Issued by the Wine and Spirit Board, the seal, intended for bottled wines only, is backed by a sophisticated tracking system in which bottle contents can be traced back to source at every stage of the supply chain to confirm the integrity of their production.

Every seal carries a unique number, through which the wine’s provenance can be tracked from vine to bottle.

Effective from 2010, the voluntary system is available to those wineries to have passed the accreditation of the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) set of sustainable principles, at farm, winery and bottling levels. IPW covers a range of issues such as integrated pest management, the health of workers, the conservation of biodiversity and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The seal is the result of collaboration between the Wine & Spirits Board, IPW, as well as the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) and Wines of South Africa (WOSA) with the generic marketing body responsible for the worldwide launch of the concept as part of its Brand South Africa campaign.

WOSA CEO, Su Birch, speaking on behalf of the initiative, says it is expected to give another boost to the country’s already widely recognised international lead in the production integrity of wine. “Although other countries are introducing similar initiatives on a limited scale, at this stage South Africa is the only country to have the means to implement and certify the concept across the entire wine industry.

Kumkani Brand News

Kumkani support these transparent and sustainable wine production efforts of WOSA.

Read more on wine.co.za

We’re having another Market Day wine sale at our Welmoed cellar door in Stellenbosch.

Dates: Thursday 25 March to Saturday 27 March 2010

Venue: Welmoed Cellar door. Here are the directions: Directions to Welmoed

The following wines will be on sale:

If you have any  queries  regarding the Market Day sale, please contact  our cellar door directly on 021 881 8062

For the most part of the first decade of the second millennium, the wine industry in South Africa experienced a significant swing towards red wine production – moving from 18% of planting in 1996 to 44% in 2008. This gave rise to a surplus production position putting downward pressure on producers’ prices according to SAWIS reports.

Given that the local demand for wine, red wine in particular, did not match the increased supply, the local industry was forced to enter the export market in a much more aggressive way than ever before.

No wonder then that export, as percentage of local production increased from 21% in 1999 to 54% in 2008. Despite fluctuations in the Rand exchange rates over this period, the general trend was downwards, helping to maintain export profitability.

The inflationary conditions coupled with pressure on disposable income have resulted in consumers trading down.

These obviously became much more price conscious. The South African wine consumer in general is regarded as more price conscious and less likely to venture into the higher priced products. In 2008 the demand for white wine has weakened while red wine sales showed a moderate increase.

However, as far as red wine is concerned, the supply/demand position has since moved into equilibrium.

Read more: on cbn.co.za

Kumkani Brand News:

One of the iconic South African wine brands is Kumkani. This wine range produces award-winning red wines such as the magnificent Kumkani Cradle Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.

The annual Audi Joburg Fashion Week featured the crème de la crème of the local fashion industry and drew VIP guests such as Michael Mol, Basetsana Kumalo, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, former Miss SA’s Joan Ramagoshi and Cindy Nell, Edith Venter and Geri Rantseli-Elsdon, among others.

These guests were treated to the award-winning Kumkani wines such as Kumkani Infiniti MCC; Kumkani Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc and Kumkani Cradle Hill at the event.

Award-winning wine brand, Kumkani, will put a fashionable foot forward as it embodies African elegance when partnering with the Audi Joburg Fashion Week’s Autumn/Winter 2010 collections, which will start at the Sandton Convention Centre and will run until 23 January.

The company of wine people’s Brands and Business Development Manager, Corne Oosthuizen, said: “We are proud to be sponsoring our award-winning, premium wines for an event of this stature. It aligns perfectly with our uniquely South African brand, Kumkani, The King of South African wines and we are pleased to present our flagship wines to consumers.”

The fashion week features the crème de la crème of the local fashion industry, with renowned designers and provides a platform for fashion designers to build their brand; engage with buyers; the media; and speak to their consumers assisting them in creating a sustainable enterprise.

Guests attending Joburg Fashion Week will have the opportunity to sample African elegance at its best with varietals and award winning wines such as the Kumkani Infiniti Methode Cap Classique; Kumkani Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc; Kumkani Cradle Hill; Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc; Kumkani Shiraz; Kumkani Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon; and Kumkani Chardonnay Viognier on offer.

Source: publicityupdate.co.za

Autumn/Winter 2010 Collections will grace the catwalk as the annual Audi Joburg Fashion Week returns for the fourth year at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre from 20 – 23 January 2010.

The four day fashion showcase features the nation’s best designers unveiling their creative forecast of the season’s trends, to a global audience of media, fashion buyers, and fashion consumers.

Kumkani, which epitomises style and elegance, is  a product sponsor of this event and we are proud to be associated with this prestigious event which is perfectly aligned with our brand.

For more info visit africanfashionint.com

The World Cup will bring an approximate 500 000 foreign tourists to South Africa and millions of people will take note of this amazing country.

Is 2010 really such a big opportunity for SA wine with soccer-mad European consumers?

Dalene Steyn, market manager Europe for Wines of South Africa (Wosa) answered this question as follows:

“In the long term, I believe 2010 will give South Africa the opportunity to showcase our beautiful country, our friendly people, our great tourism destination as well as our fantastic food and wines. So yes, it creates a platform, but it will depend on each and every South African how positive the experience will be. Every visitor that leaves South Africa happy will become an ambassador and be positively inclined to buy South African wine in future.

In the short term, June and July are normally slow months for the South African hospitality industry. The fact that we will have a great number of people descending on SA will keep them busier than usual. We have heard that soccer players are mainly beer drinkers, but among them will be the wine consumers, and I am sure they will be pleasantly surprised when they experience the quality of the South African wines on offer.”

Source: timeslive.co.za

Kumkani Brand News

We are looking forward to hosting the world and to let them experience and taste the amazing wines and winelands of South Africa.

Howard Booysen, the first aspiring winemaker to be selected for the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme, has just completed his three-year internship honing his skills and knowledge of the wine industry under the guidance of some of the country’s top winemakers.

“My internship programme has come to a close. It was a lifetime experience which I am very grateful for,” said Howard. Over the past three years, he has worked alongside some of the finest winemakers in SA including Carl Schultz at Hartenberg Estate, Bruce Jack at Flagstone, Pieter Ferreira at Graham Beck Wines and Gary Jordan at Jordan Wine Estate. Howard also travelled to the US during his time with Bruce Jack and worked at Ravenswood Vineyards in Sonoma County.

The mentoring programme is a unique one in the SA wine industry involving as it does the hands-on experience and guidance of winemakers of this calibre. Their vision is to cultivate and nurture winemakers from previously disadvantaged backgrounds to become winemakers of excellence.  Howard was the first to embark on the programme after completing his final year of study at Elsenburg Agricultural College in 2006 and Praisy Dlamini, the Guild’s first woman protégé, is currently in her second phase of the internship programme as we speak.

In addition to super-honed winemaking skills, Howard himself brings a whole raft of talents to the table. When I first met him last year doing promotions on behalf of Flagstone, he completely charmed everyone in sight – whether it was with his wines, his personality or his lovely dark eyes, I wouldn’t like to say! Currently, Howard is wowing diners at Cape Town’s prestigious Aubergine Restaurant as a sommelier whilst he prepares the maiden release of his own-label wines which will be released next year.

Kumkani Brand News

Kumkani (company of winepeople^TM) is part of the Cape Winemakers Guild and support their protégé programme. We congratulate Howard on his achievements and wish him the best of luck for his future endeavours.

Source: food24.com

Ethical business practices in the South African wine industry have long been a priority for organizations and these efforts were recently recognized by international awards.

As our South African wine industry continues to grow exports despite the global recession, it is also achieving increasing international recognition for its ethical approach to winemaking, says Wines of South Africa (WOSA) CEO Su Birch.

Within the space of a few weeks the country was acknowledged by influential UK trade publication The Drinks Business, winning its Ethical Award for 2009 while also earning the lion’s share of trophies and prizes in the Fairtrade Wine Committee’s competition for best wines of the year, held in London. Read more

Kumkani Brand News:

We congratulate WOSA for their efforts regarding business ethics as well as their commitment to promoting South African Wines in a sustainable and ethical manner.

Cape Town has won the 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award in the Best Destination category.

Cape Town Tourism CEO Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold said, “Cape Town Tourism is thrilled with the news that Cape Town has won the 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award in the Best Destination category. Being the first city to win in this category is an incredible achievement and testament to Cape Town’s ability to lead the way in terms of global responsible tourism. We are very proud to be part of team Cape Town and commend the City of Cape Town, our partners and the tourism industry for your commitment to this initiative.”

The awards were founded in 2004 by responsibletravel.com, which runs the awards in partnership with the Daily Telegraph, Geographical Magazine – the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society – and World Travel Market. Virgin Holidays became a headline sponsor of the awards in 2007 and has continued to support them since then.

The central tenet of the awards is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. The awards recognise individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation.

Kumkani Brand News

We congratulate the City of Cape Town for this great achievement. We suggest that they celebrate with a truly Cape sparkling wine. The Kumkani Infiniti is a Méthode Cap Classique sparkling which is perfect for this celebration.

The Wine:

Source: capetown.travel

For some people the indecisiveness when choosing the wine for an event is sometimes unbearable.  Picking the right wine for any occasion is easier than you think. Just be logical and think a bit about the dynamics of the event and the people that will attend.

The first thing about selecting the wine is to relax and to realize that this is a live or death decision. The wine choosing process is supposed to be fun and part of the enjoyment of the event.

The second thing that you must take into account is the dynamics of the social event or when and how will the wine be enjoyed. Is it for a dinner and the wine will probably be discussed? Or is it a party or an informal gathering where the bottle will only be one of a few that will be opened by the guests? In the latter case it would we unwise to buy expensive, rare or unique wines.

Dinner with snobbish business partners (or your boss) will call for a different wine budget than a casual evening with friend or family.

What do you do when you are “Stuck in the middle”? This is where you can not decide which wine, because the guests are diverse or you do not know their wine preferences.

The trend is your friend so go for the most popular choices within your budget. In a South African context I will go for Cabernet Sauvignon (maybe Merlot) for red wine and Sauvignon Blanc for white wine.

Just remember to relax and make a decision because indecisiveness creates unnecessary stress.

Kumkani Brand News

The Kumkani Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2008 has won numerous awards. This wine is sure to impress and delight at any occasion.

Source: modbee

The Wine: