Bid for the South African Airways 2018 Wine Selection Tender Now

Friday, 23 June, 2017
South African Airways
Onboard any South African Airways (SAA) flight is a world of choice of select high-end wines for the discerning flyer. These wines are the pick of the best South Africa has to offer, selected through what has become a landmark fixture in the annual South African wine events calendar.

Tender Submissions

Bidders are invited to submit their bids to be part of the 2018 Wine Selection Tender. The Tender Document: RFP GSM 009-17 Request For Proposal For The Supply Of Wines And Champagne For 2018, can be accessed here.
Bidders are invited to carefully read all the information in the RFP.

Briefing Session

A non-compulsory, whilst advisable Briefing Session will be held on 27 June 2017 at Nederburg Winery, Sonstraal Road, Paarl from 11:00 to 13:00.  Please RSVP to YolandeSchutte@flysaa.com if you wish to attend the briefing session.
 


 
The 2017 SAA Wine Awards

The annual awards ceremony recognises and celebrates the best of locally produced wines and winning wines are served on the SAA onboard wine list for all cabin classes, and in Business Class lounges.

2017 has been a good year for South African wines and the entrants in the SAA Wine Awards were testament to that. Across the board – red wine, white wine, Méthode Cap Classique, sparkling wine and Cape Tawny – wine brands brought their best forward, vying for wine of the year and two additional awards: Chief Executive Officer’s Award and the Chairperson’s Award.

Simonsig Estate walked away with Wine of the Year for their Méthode Cap Classique while Bayede Marketing’s King Shaka Chenin Blanc 2015 was voted the White Wine of the Year. Overhex Private Cellar was the judge’s favourite, winning the CEO Award for most listings, the Red Wine of the Year with their Survivor Red Blend Fairtrade 2015 and the Chairman’s Award for the most wine in litres at 105,344 litres. The Cape Tawny award went to the KWV for their flagship KWV Cape Tawny.

From a vast number of submissions, a total of 48 still wines were selected - 24 white and 24 red wines. These 48 wines are staggered throughout the year, giving flyers a wider variety of South Africa’s best wines to choose from. Business Class gets a new Méthode Cap Classique every month, with only one champagne added to certain routes as an additional treat.

The wines are blind-tasted per specific category, over a three-day period by a panel of highly qualified South African and international judges. The scores, together with other extensive evaluation criteria, form part of possible eligibility for the 2018 SAA Wine Selection.

The annual awards are about supporting local businesses, which is why the focus is on locally produced wines. SAA has been showcasing locally produced wines on its flights for over 30 years. In 2017, more black-owned producers managed to submit their wine labels for consideration. As the season for 2018 opens up, wine labels are encouraged to enter their wines for the 2018 leg of the awards.