SAA to select Michelangelo 2018 winners for On-board Wine-lists and Lounges

Tuesday, 31 July, 2018
Michelangelo International Awards
In a move set to increase the commercial footprint of wines and spirits entered into its competition, the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards has confirmed that it has been appointed by the South African Airways as supplier of its on-board wines and spirits for 2019.

The agreement stipulates that SAA will be procuring its wines and spirits for on-board wine lists in Economy and Business Classes, as well as SAA lounges, from the 2018 Michelangelo award winners.

This latest agreement follows hot on the heels of a recent announcement by Southern African retail giant Checkers that it will be stocking Michelangelo winners through its extensive chain of supermarkets and liquor stores.

According to Lorraine Immelman, founder and CEO of the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, the agreements with Checkers and SAA herald a new era for this 22 year-old competition.

“Michelangelo is now in a position to truly offer a win-win situation for producers of wines and spirits entering the competition, as well as for the general consumer,” she says. “For the former, access to the wine-lists of the SAA and shelf-space of a major Southern African retail chain is now within their reach. And the consumer benefits by now being able to readily access award-winning wines and spirits judged by panels of international experts who fly in from around the globe to judge this competition.”

In order to accommodate producers who would want to submit wines into the 2018 Michelangelo competition and be eligible for the SAA selection, this year’s deadline has been extended to Friday, 3 August. Producers of wine should be able to deliver their winning wines in 187ml bottles and spirits in 50ml bottles for on-board service, while spirits should be made available in 50ml bottles.