Wine exports soaring
2008-09-04
SOUTH AFRICAN wine exports have broken all records and are soaring in defiance of the international economic slowdown, says Wines of South Africa (WOSA) CEO Su Birch. Over 363 million litres were sold off-shore during the 12 months to July, an increase of 27% on the previous 12 months. “This is way ahead of the originally anticipated target of 300 million litres a year we were hoping to achieve by 2010,” she said. Speaking just a few weeks before the Nedbank Cape Wine 2008, South Africa’s biggest ever wine exhibition, hosted by WOSA from 23 to 25 September and targeting the international and local wine trade, she added: “The momentum appears to be continuing, despite even tougher trading conditions since the start of this year. “Export volumes are up 31% for the first seven months of 2008, thanks not only to a weaker rand and the continued strength of big brands in markets such as the UK, Sweden and Canada, but also the emergence of buyers in developing markets such as Angola and south-east Asia. “These robust sales are also an indication, we believe, of South Africa’s capacity to offer original, expressive and interesting wines of good value across the pricing spectrum.” She said exports had also been fuelled by rising rosé sales, up 60% on the previous year, as local producers successfully catered to the unabated thirst for pink wines on international markets. What was most significant about the export levels reached, said Birch was that sales had occurred across a far wider geographic reach than ever before, to reduce the country’s dependence on any single market. “Whereas in 2003, the UK and the Netherlands accounted for 72% of all South Africa’s packaged wine exports, today the UK and the Netherlands, together with Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the US, make up 72% of these sales. At the same time, there is growing interest in our wines from countries in Africa and the East.” The country’s broader global participation on wine markets was clearly evident in the geographic spread of delegates signed up to attend Nedbank Cape Wine 2008, to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Birch said even though the UK’s relative contribution to total exports had diminished, it was still South Africa’s largest wine export destination. It was thus very encouraging to see strong growth resuming in that market. “Our exports of packaged wines are up 35% in the UK and we have recovered market share lost in 2006. Germany has overtaken the Netherlands as South Africa’s second largest market.
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