Ray Smuts
LOOK TO Japan for more South African wine exports, says Tori Shinichiro - and he should know.
Opening the 26th Nederburg Wine Auction at Paarl last week, Torii, president of the giant Suntory International Corporation of Japan - it turned over R83 billion in liquor, food, soft drinks and pharmaceutical sales last year - said an increasing number of his countrymen were developing sensitive palates and good noses.
Currently only supplying 1% of the Japanese wine market, South Africa lags far behind France and Italy who contribute 44% and 18% respectively.
But the potential for more wine exports, particularly reds, is certainly there, given that the Japanese wine market has increased threefold, from 13 million cases in 1993 to 39 million in 1998.
Pointing to the importance Japanese consumers attach to quality, Shinichiro said they were keenly interested in wines from the New World which presented an opportunity for South Africa to build awareness of brand names.
Shinichiro also came up with a rather novel suggestion - encourage young Japanese to visit South African wineries so they can become fans of this country and its products.
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