Durban - The expansion of BRICS from five to 11 countries presents an opportunity for all South African winemakers to market their products amid an ever-growing demand for the quality that is recognised in locally manufactured wines.
Electronics entrepreneur William Wu, who owns Veenwouden winery in Paarl, near Cape Town, said the BRICS expansion would unlock value for member-farmers with new markets in Russia and India, and would complement the existing relationship with China.
Wu, whose interests in the electronics business brought him to South Africa in the early 1980s, has cultivated an appetite for the wine business since investing in Veenwouden.
The Department of International Relations and Co-operation selected Wu’s Veenwouden wines for all guests at the recent summit, and he described this as an honour, saying it was a “small way to bring attention to the quality of South African wines”.
“The wine industry in South Africa produces first-class wines, and we need to do more in terms of marketing our product to global consumers. Our wines are high quality and are available at a reasonable price,” Wu said.
At the summit, delegates were offered a VIP wine tasting experience at Sultan Lounge, a few metres away from the Sandton Convention Centre. This included a red option that was a Bordeaux blend, and a Chenin Blanc.
Wu said the wine world had developed an overwhelming interest in the Swartland region, and the marketing opportunities for this winery in the developing Asian markets were limitless.
"We will most definitely tap into the excitement surrounding this region, which some international wine critics are calling the most exciting wine region in the world.”
Wu said Veenwouden wines would be available when the BRICS summit was held in Russia in October next year.
“This is not just an opportunity to promote Veenwouden wines, but to promote different South African wines to all the BRICS countries. It is crucial that more South African wines are marketed to countries around the world so people can better understand the quality of our wine industry,” Wu said.