JOY ORLEK THE SINGLE blight on South Africa’s success in the UK wine market has been its inability to move up the value chain. In a market dominated by supermarkets, which control 70% of UK wine sales, South Africa has suffered along with other countries from the very competitive pricing, says David Mawer, UK-based business development director at FFG Hillebrand. “South Africa is seen at the cheaper end of the market with only 3% of SA wine selling at over £5 a bottle, which is below the average.” Outlook, however, is still optimistic in his view. “The UK wine market is growing organically at 3-4% a year. SA’s share of that market has also been growing and currently it’s the fifth largest exporter,” he said. France remains the top exporter to the UK, rivalled by Australia.
SA battles to shake ‘cheap wine’ reputation
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