Zonin expands range to South Africa

Italian wine group Zonin has added two new South African wines to its portfolio featuring a Sauvignon Blanc and a Shiraz from the very southernmost tip of Africa.

Dubbed ‘Land’s End’, the two wines bear the Wine of Origin label ‘Cape South Coast’ but the fruit is predominantly sourced from the Cape Agulhas Wine Triangle, an emerging cool climate wine region at the very southernmost tip of Africa.

The fruit is sourced from multiple growers, sustainably farmed and vinified at a Fair Trade accredited winery.

The wines are being released into the US first through Zonin’s subsidiary 1821 Fine Wines & Spirits, priced at US$11 a bottle, joining the other wines in the portfolio from across Italy as well as Chile and the US.

The latest Gomberg Frederikson Report this September noted a 16% increase in volumes of South African wine sold in the US.

Shawn Balzano, national sales director for 1821, said that while many consumers “may not be familiar with this particular area”, more US customers were becoming “aware of the fantastic values coming out of South Africa,” and, “we are excited to be the first in the US to offer wines from this emerging top-quality district at this price point. These are cool-climate wines at a very cool price.”