LIQUID INVESTMENTS
MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Plethora of premium whites offered at discount over reds
The domestic market cares more for red wine than for white
SA’s white wines enjoy a better reputation abroad than its reds. Some of this appeal no doubt lies in their restraint, a feature that offers a better "fit" in terms of old-world styles. That they achieve optimum ripeness at alcohol levels lower than their red wine counterparts no doubt contributes to their desirability. That the domestic market cares more for red wine than for white is reflected in the pricing. The reason for it is largely historical: the premium wine market has always been dominated by reds, even when (or perhaps because) the only decent red variety available to producers was cabernet. It did not matter that SA was a predominantly white wine producer: much of that yield went into brandy distillation or cheap-and-cheerful off-dry whites. The abiding myth was that for wine to be worth considering it had to be red. Since cabernet was considered the "king" of grapes and was in seemingly plentiful supply, great wine was expected to be red, cabernet-based and consumed fo...
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