SOUTH AFRICA is now the fastest-growing supplier of wines to the UK market with a 22% year-on-year volume increase, according to recent ACNielsen data.
The country occupies fifth position by volume with a 10% share of the UK market, which has recently been identified in a Vinexpo-commissioned study as the world’s largest consumer of imported wine with 1,6 billion bottles purchased in 2007.
According to the CEO of Wines of South Africa (Wosa), exports to Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia have also shown substantial growth.
South Africa is now the front-ranking New World player in Germany, Holland and Sweden.
While final figures are still awaited from SA Wine Information Systems (SAWIS), it is estimated that more than 400 million litres of wine left South Africa’s shores in 2008.
