“Radical” plans for Cape Wine 2012

Cape Wine 2012 will be “radical”, according to WOSA CEO Su Birch.

Describing the Cape Town trade fair, which returns from 25-27 September for the first time since 2008, as “the first green wine show ever,” Birch also revealed that the event would incorporate a wine tourism show, Vindaba for the first time.

One of the most significant green features of the fair will be the use of cardboard to create the stands. Manufactured by a company in the Western Cape, these will be built in a flatpack format, enabling producers to reuse them for future shows.

In a further effort to reduce the environmental effect of the fair, visitors to Cape Wine will be put up in hotels within walking distance of the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Vindaba, a name based on the Xhosa word for a village forum, will be aimed at a broader audience of tour operators and lifestyle journalists, focusing on the promotion of the Cape’s wine routes.

Having had a four year break from the biennial event, thanks to the FIFA World Cup in 2010, Birch explained: “We’ve been trying to look at it very differently and ask ‘Do we have to do shows the way we used to do them?’” She described the level of support from the country’s producers for the event as “phenomenal.”

Early highlights already confirmed for Cape Wine 2012 include an event featuring 42 producers from the recently designated Cape South Coast region, as well as a series of seminars.

Kanonkop owner Johann Krieg will chair the opening seminar titled “Looking back, looking forward”, which will examine South Africa’s achievements over the last two decades and ask what the future holds for the next twenty years ahead.

Additional seminars will include a look at “the modern pioneers of the industry”, an examination of Pinotage, a session on “Tomorrow’s Stars”, and a look at the rediscovery of South Africa’s old vines.

A number of events have also been timed to coincide with the fair, such as a vertical tasting to mark the 30^th anniversary of the Cape Winemakers Guild and the annual Nederburg auction.

Reporting 50% annual growth in the Chinese market over the last three years, Birch confirmed that Wines of South Africa was currently working with the government’s Department for Trade and Industry to encourage visitors from China to attend the fair, together with representatives from other African countries, many of which represent important markets for South African wine.

Further information will be available soon at www.capewine2012.co.za and www.vindaba.com.