Naked Wines launches new fundraiser for South African winemakers

Naked Wine has launched a fundraising drive to support six South African winemakers, the sixth round of Covid-19 related crowdfunding it has initiated since the onset of the global pandemic.

South Africa’s wineries have been badly affected by the global pandemic

The online wine company has put together 2,000 cases of wines which it will sell from today as part of its ongoing support for winemakers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

It is hoping to raise £225,000 from pre-order to support six South African winemakers affected by strict ban on domestic alcohol sales. Customers will save 26% on 12 bottles, which include wines from Arco Laarman of Glen Carlou, Carsten Migliarina, former Sommelier at London’s Le Pont de la Tour turned boutique winemaker, Cerina van Niekerk who works rare bush vines on South Africa’s West Coast, Lourens van der Westhuizen, a fifth-generation winemaker from a small, family-run winery, specialising in single vineyard wines, Rudi Schulz, and Richard Kershaw, former chief winemaker at Mulderbosch winery in Stellenbosch, who’s been making exclusive wines for Naked’s Angel customers for the past 9 years.

Naked’s global wine director Eamon FitzGerald, said he had heard from countless winemakers about their struggles following the domestic alcohol ban in South Africa.

“Given our unique platform and passionate customer base, it feels right to launch this initiative to help the South African wine industry. The best way we can support them is by buying and drinking their wines. In return for their support, our customers will get a great deal on a case of South African hidden gem wines from 6 talented winemakers.”

A spokesman told db that the launch differed from its usual Angel model, with the customer making an advance purchase on future delivery, with the winemakers – five of whom are new to Naked – having already received the funds. They also noted that its margin was purely to cover shipping and warehousing costs.

The South African government’s ban on domestic alcohol sales have had a devastating impact on wine estates, breweries and distilleries. The South African wine industry body VinPro estimated that the wine industry alone has suffered direct losses of R3 billion (£142.1m) and around 18,000 jobs (out of a total of 300,000) in the South African wine industry, and almost 80 wineries and 350 grape growers were at risk following the export and sales disruption of the first domestic drinking ban, which was reinstated in mid-July.

The South African government came under pressure to ease the ban on alcohol sales in order to avoid mass unemployment from the regional government of the country’s largest wine region, the Western Cape earlier this week. 

Click here for db’s own list of how you can help support South Africa’s wine industry.