Wines of South Africa Grand Tasting 2016
Quenching the Angolan Trade, Media and Consumer Thirst.
The Wines of South Africa Grand Tasting 2016 took place at the Epic Sana Hotel in Luanda, Angola on Thursday 12th May 2016, showcasing 20 wine brands and was well received by the 250 attending guests comprising of trade, media and consumers.
The event kicked off in the morning at 10h00 with a 5 hour wine course being presented to an audience of 20 members - a mixture of trade, media and consumers. This was followed by the grand tasting in the evening from 19:00 – 22:00 where guests were treated to canapés and wines poured while being entertained by soft contemporary jazz and Angola sounds. Highlights of the evening were definitely the feedback from guests on the quality of wines presented and well as the presence of our newly appointed South African Ambassador to Angola H.E Fannie Phakola and his team of representatives from the DTI desk.
Wines of South Africa strategically collaborated with South Africa Embassy, South Africa Airways, Standard Bank and JF Hillebrand and presented a collective brand South Africa position with the specific objectives of leveraging each entity’s existing brand visibility in the Angola market as well as to support growth of South African business footprint and commitment to doing business in the Angola market.
Brands presented at the show were from Vinimark (Robertson Wines, Chocolate Block, Porcupine Ridge, Fat Bastard, Wolftrap, Krone, Barista) Orange River Cellar Wines, Beverage Intelligent represented brands (Paul Cluver, Ken Forrester, Vondeling, Bosman, MAN Vintners) Distell (JC Leroux, Nederburg, Zonnebloem, Altor, Fleur De Cap, Plaisir de Merle)
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IDENTIFIED FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN WINE PRODUCERS AT THIS EVENT AND THE ANGOLA MARKET.
The current state of economy in Angola presents a challenge for producers and importers who have to deal with limited access to funds for foreign payments, however the spirit on the ground is positive that this is just a temporary situation that will be corrected and Angola economy will once again be back on its growth levels.
While many companies thrive during an upturn, downturns are what separate the serious players from the rest. It is times such as this when producers should take an opportunity to negotiate with importers who are also looking for supplier partners who will be ready to move forward once the Angola economy turns around.
Importer and producer B2B meetings were arranged pre the exhibition evening and followed by tasting in the evening.
Wines of South Africa’s message at this year’s event was to reassure trade and consumers that South African Wines are committed to develop the category irrespective of the current economic situation and for our producers this was an ideal time to position themselves and engage with importers and consumers.
We are confident that our efforts will in the long run result in the increase of South African wines being exporter and consumed in the Angola market.
Please see below link to the media articles published about the show in different publications in Angola:
WOSA Clipping.PDF
Full media report can be requested via email from Matome Mbatha on matome@wosa.co.za