IN THE NEWS
PE DRINKS WINE SHOW DRY
Eastern Cape wine lovers filled the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium's World of Windows to capacity over the weekend to sample and buy hundreds of wines during The Wine Show Road Show Nelson Mandela Bay. Visitors and exhibitors agree that the second edition of this fun, interactive consumer show was a spectacular success.
According to show director John Woodward, the response from the Eastern Cape public exceeded all expectations. "We realised when we launched the Port Elizabeth show last year that wine marketers have been underestimating the huge buying potential in the Eastern Cape, but I think that local wine consumers have definitely placed themselves firmly on the map during the past three days. Not only did we experience record footfall, but wine sales were absolutely phenomenal. Most exhibitors had to really scramble to renew their stock after Saturday's wine buying frenzy. Wine sales went through the roof with some producers recording sales of over R40 000. Once again, premium wines were in high demand," explained Woodward.
Yvette Engelbrecht from Orange River Cellars resorted to visiting her PE-based suppliers and literally buying her own stock off the shelves to be able have her whole range available on Sunday. Gerhard Dreyer from Raka actually delved into his own stock to replenish his stand.
"It was also very encouraging to see that the younger generation of consumers between the ages of 25 – 35 years was very strongly represented and enthusiastically buying wines. This means that there is a huge growth potential as this is a market segment that can be developed significantly. The various tutored tastings, which were conducted by various winemakers, were all filled to capacity and this is a strong indication that visitors were keen to experiment with different wine varietals and learn more about wine in general," concluded Woodward. |