How to crack the US market with our wine exports
Positioning chenin blanc as an SA wine of choice could be a winner in a market where the local industry has struggled
SA’s wine industry has achieved amazing export results in the UK and across Europe, but it has yet to crack the biggest prize of all, the US. To do so, it could take a lesson from New Zealand. The New Zealand wine industry’s focus on a single varietal, sauvignon blanc, has entrenched it in the US market. SA potentially has a similar winner in its chenin blanc wines, say leading industry players such as Lauren Buzzeo, managing editor of US-based magazine Wine Enthusiast. "To associate chenin blanc with SA in the minds of US consumers is a way to begin the conversation," Buzzeo said on a recent trip to SA. "Instead of staking your claim by saying you can do everything, highlight what you do best." SA’s chenin blanc wines come with another advantage, says DeMorgenzon wine estate GM and wine-maker Carl van der Merwe. "Their full-flavoured, aromatic characteristics are much sought after by American wine drinkers."About 11,000ha of SA’s chenin vineyards were planted 20 or more years ago. ...
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