WOSA WORLD

South African Wines at Wine Professional, Amsterdam

20 January 2014

From 13 to 15 January 2014, WOSA took part in the annual Wine Professional show in Amsterdam. This is the biggest professional wine show in The Netherlands, focusing mainly on the on-trade but almost everyone from the trade visits it – including wine shops, media, wholesalers, importers etc.

The WOSA stand had different themes on different days, focusing on Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and Rhône-style wines. The stand was busy all three days. We had many sommeliers commenting on the quality of the wines, they were especially surprised by the elegance in the Pinotages – it seems they are more and more taken by this grape! Chenin Blanc is a very interesting wine for the on-trade as the various styles offer interesting culinary combinations. The unusual varieties such as Roussanne, Viognier and interesting Rhône blends were also very popular – consumers are moving away from the 'big five' grapes and looking for something different.

It is interesting to note that there are several importers currently looking for new producers from South Africa – there seems to be a revival going on, some portfolios are expanding or changing. Watch the WOSA newsletter for importer enquiries!

– Sara Channell