SA collaborates in wine export drive

Competitors they may well be, but New World wine-producing countries South Africa, along with Argentina, the US (California), Chile and New Zealand, will bond as one next year for Germany’s annual ProWein, one of world’s most important international events. Significantly, this is the first time in global winemaking terms that fierce rivals have joined forces to operate as a team, although Australia, reportedly more focused on the East, has chosen not to join. Despite all ‘partners’ asserting continued individual export growth, they believe that together they stand a better chance of competing against the EU whose own wine-producing members are supported by substantial subsidies in international marketing initiatives. The ‘quintet’ will share one hall and operate under an umbrella theme, titled Down to Earth, jointly offering a series of seminars, lectures, presentations and workshops featuring top-level academics and wine makers. Argentina’s 2009 exports of 23.8 million cases were up 14% in volume to US$550 million last year, Chile’s exports of 65.4 million cases worth US$1.4 billion (up 10%) and California’s exports 55 million cases worth more than US$1 billion (up 8%). New Zealand exports of 10.9 million cases (US$574 million) were up 19% while South Africa’s exports rose 32%, to 45.2 million cases, worth US$778 million. ProWein, held in Dusseldorf each March, hosted some 3 200 exhibitors this year and attracted more than 35 000 delegates from 50 countries, over and above more than 1 000 journalists.