These are just some of the topics lined up for Cape Wine 2015 in September when the South African wine industry presents the biggest wine show ever to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere.
Over three days delegates will be able to make sense of how the industry
has been catapulted from obscure and isolated outsider to accomplished
performer with an authentically original voice, keen to protect its vinous
heritage but equally excited to explore new wine-growing areas, new varietals
and new styles.
Wines of South Africa (WOSA), the organiser of the three-day trade
exhibition to the international world of wine buyers and critics, is hosting a
varied range of producers, themed tastings, seminars, workshops and discussions
to highlight the country's evolution over the past 20 years.
Attracting capacity numbers of exhibitors, as well as delegates from
every continent, Cape Wine 2015 has been billed as a "revelatory
event" and "great fun too" by a prominent UK wine personality
and a keen observer of the South African industry. Journalist, author,
and wine judge Matthew Jukes is also calling the show "an essential date
in the wine calendar and the only way to taste every newly released wine"
the country produces.
Sweden's 2014 sommelier of the year Patrik Strömsten, who is also
scheduled to attend, says: "Germany has Prowein, Bordeaux, Vinexpo and
South Africa sits on top with its Cape Wine. This is the place to be to learn
everything you need to know about South Africa and its great wines."
And between now and when the show starts at the Cape Town Convention
Centre on September 15, delegates can start immersing themselves in industry
developments through fast and fun video clips featuring some of the best-known
but also up-and-coming local winemakers, viticulturists and other wine
personalities. The novel and intriguing #CapeWineConnect campaign is a
series of upfront and personal snapshots. They chart winemakers'
make or break moments, what makes them get up in the morning, their families,
their farm friends and what to expect at Cape Wine 2015. These clips can be
viewed by going to http://www.capewine2015.com/pressroom.php
Says WOSA CEO Siobhan Thompson: "Our show is a multi-media look at the South African wine industry today - who we are and how we have come to this point. It's an opportunity to taste from the traditional to the trailblazing and to explore our innovation and technical maturity.
"It's tempting to view our two-decade trajectory as a jump from
zero to hero but things are seldom that straightforward. The positive
reputation the country is currently enjoying is the result of exceptionally
hard work over many years and across several fronts. Behind the evolution
is a solid and sophisticated infrastructure designed to promote quality,
technology and innovation. It embraces advances in viticulture, soil and the
management of limited and non-renewable resources, investment in plant
improvement programmes and training of workers, better operational efficiencies
and improved value-chain logistics for smarter and more cost-efficient
wine-growing and production."
For details of exhibitors, seminars, Speakers' Corner topics and other events, go to www.capewine2015.com, where delegates can also register. Stay up to date
via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeWine2015 and Twitter: @CapeWine2015