‘Exporters should push brand not price’

There are big opportunities for South African wine in both developed and developing markets, according to Troy Christensen, president of Constellation Europe. The South African wine category is well perceived in Canada and the Scandinavian countries but opportunities also exist in emerging markets such as Russia and Eastern Europe, while domestic ties with Brazil, China and India should be exploited, he said at the recent Cape Wine 2008 expo. Wine industry commentator, Michael Fridjhon, who chaired the discussion on return on investment, says there has thus far been a massive underinvestment in Brand South Africa, which has seen producers taking advantage of a weak currency to trade on price as opposed to building a positive image of the country and its wine-making attributes. Grant Dodd, an Australian representing Haskell Vineyards in Stellenbosch’s Golden Triangle, suggests it might be South Africa’s turn to take centre stage among wine consumers and urges producers to ready themselves in the event of the country becoming “the next big thing.” He did however draw attention to the weaknesses of a volatile currency, the “ethnicised and polysyllabic” names given to many local wines that act as an impediment to consumer engagement.