Ray Smuts
SOUTH AFRICA has the Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia to thank in particular for its 13% increase in bottled wine exports up to the end of last year.
Su Birch, chief executive officer of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), the not-for-profit body responsible for the generic promotion of local wines on international markets, says what is
most encouraging is that the increase shows that the proportion of bottled wine exports to bulk exports continues to grow, with bottled wines now representing 65% of total exports.
This trend reflects a strengthening of our international quality positioning which we are fighting hard to advance in the face of competition from other New World producers.
Sales of bottled red have been slightly higher than those of whites, 15% as opposed to 12%, while varietals reflecting the highest growth over the period are Chardonnay and Pinotage.
Sales of South African bottled wines rose 32% in the Netherlands compared with 1999, 31% in Germany and 17% in Scandinavia, a relatively new market for this country.
The UK remains South Africa's largest market accounting for 40% of total exports, bottled exports being up by 13%.
Birch cautions that prices for South African wines are still too low in the UK, currently averaging 80% below Australian wines in supermarkets, and sees the challenge for this country's producers in upping both quality and price.
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