Wines of South Africa (WoSA) is returning to ProWein International Trade Fair for Wines and Spirits, in Germany, to be held on 19-21 March 2023, with the greatest number of exhibitors ever to have a presence on the generic pavilion. The return follows a hiatus of three years due to the pandemic and extended travel restrictions. The South African wine industry was hard hit during the covid years, with bans on exports, local sales and international travel. However, the industry is now firmly in a phase of strong recovery and producers are ready to hit the ground running at this major international show.
The organisation will have a new position in Hall 14, Blocks A70, A80, C70 & C80, allowing for over 100 South African brands to welcome buyers, importers and international trade to meet with their suppliers, find new partnerships and taste through a vast range of wines to assess current trends, quality and styles. The WoSA pavilion will play host to a number of South Africa’s best known and well-established brands, alongside a variety of new names and wines. A full list of exhibitors is available on the WoSA website.
For the first time, the WoSA stand will be host to The Wine Arc, the Stellenbosch-based home for Black Owned Enterprises. This is the inaugural international showcase for the organisation and will give visitors the opportunity to meet with the brand owners, taste their wines and understand the importance of transformation in the South African wine industry.
WoSA has once again partnered with Bottlebooks to provide visitors with an online catalogue that they can access beforehand, to identify which exhibitors they would like to visit. A full list of the wines on show can be found in the Bottlebooks Online Catalogue. Visitors will be able to create lists and find contact details of exhibiting producers in order to pre-arrange meetings.
Sustainability remains a central pillar of focus for the South African wine industry and at the show visitors will be able to see what progress is being made in terms of tackling climate change, regenerating the environment for the future and programmes to drive social upliftment in the winelands. The theme of Sustainability360 has been core to the South African wine industry and was a major topic at the 2022 CapeWine exhibition in Cape Town. The Sustainability Seal, the first industry wine guarantee of sustainable wine production, was launched in 2010 and continues to develop and strengthen, alongside people-focused initiatives such as WIETA.
The ‘Discover South Africa’ theme tasting area has grown to become one of the highlights of the WoSA pavilion. This year, the area will showcase a number of themes. In the morning, from 10h00 - 13h00, 60 of South Africa’s Chardonnays, Chenin Blancs, Sauvignon Blancs, Cap Classiques, plus a selection of white blends, voted for by a group of international sommeliers, will be showcased.
Then, from 14h00 until 17h00 visitors can taste their way through a selection of red wines including Pinotage, Shiraz/Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Grenache Noir, as well as red blends that were voted for by international sommeliers, who felt the wines were popular and paired well with the dishes in their establishments.
We look forward to welcoming you at the Wines of South Africa information booth, Hall 14,Block C80 within the Discover South Africa Tasting Zone.
