The members of Organic Wines South Africa are delighted to announce the formation of their Association. Created formally on 4 September 2024, and encompassing the core, established, certified-organic wine estates of South Africa, the objective of the Association will be to broadly market the merits of sustainability in our agricultural processes and the non-chemical production methods of our wines. We aim to promote the development of sustainable production throughout our sector, including information sharing and the pooling of technical experience and expertise, while collaborating in collective marketing, both domestically and internationally.
While there are 11 founding members (see list at the bottom of this article), our intention is to extend membership to any willing South African Producer of Organically-certified wines, present or future, including those officially in conversion and those certified organic regenerative. We have adopted EU criteria, in terms of verifiable Certification parameters, so as to ensure that an optimum level of compliance is ensured in order to qualify as a member.
The membership has appointed a management committee to develop and drive the objectives and plans for the Association. This is constituted of:
- Chairperson: Alex Dale (Radford Dale Organic Estate)
- Treasurer: Johan Reyneke (Reyneke Wines)
- Secretary: Tyrrel Myburgh (Joostenberg Estate)
At the signing into being of the Association, chairperson Alex Dale stated:
"The South African Wine Industry has, in the past 30 years, come a very long way. To the extent that in many well-informed markets around the world, South African wine is recognised for its ever-increasing quality and its immense value. With the formation of Organic Wines South Africa, we have an opportunity to provide energetic leadership in the mission of upping our collective game in regards to sustainability, and with a particular focus on viticulture."
Most of our members distribute throughout South Africa, and many export already to markets across the world, providing a well-established network on which to hitch our collective message. We aim to create a situation where we help to directly and significantly develop the numbers of organic wine Producers in South Africa and to bring into the contemporary mainstream these principles of sustainability.
Clarity
It is common knowledge that there tends to be a prevalence of 'greenwashing' when it comes to the marketing of 'sustainability' in many sectors and wine production is certainly not immune from this. For this reason, and to avoid any uncertainty, we will limit our membership to certified-organic and or certified-biodynamic wine producers.
Commenting on the advent of Organic Wines South Africa, co-founder and treasurer Johan Reyneke quoted novelist Victor Hugo by saying, "There’s one thing stronger than all the armies in the world and that's an idea whose time has come."
Industry background
In 2022, 8.4% of the Global vineyard was Organic. Up from 1.4% in 2005 (according to Organic World). In the EU, at the same date, more than 10% of all Agriculture is now Organic. With this rate now escalating, it is estimated that organic agriculture will represent in excess of 1/3 of the industry within a generation.
IWSR (International Wine and Spirits Record) reports that global sales of organic wine have grown from 29 million cases in 2012 to 71 million cases in 2022 (+145%) and are said to be in an exponential growth phase. Sales of non-organic wine over this period fell from 2.4 billion cases to 2.06 billion cases (-14.2%) and continue to decline.
In South Africa, it is estimated that there are between 2-3 dozen organic wineries today, counting for only a small fraction of total production, below 1%. As we lag behind the more advanced global wine regions, there is a significant opportunity to be seized and marketshare readily available. Organic Wines SA aims to seize this opportunity and to significantly develop the sector within South Africa.
South Africa’s top 3 international markets (UK, Germany, USA) are already among the four leading global markets for the consumption of organic wine.
"The global organic wine market size is expected to reach USD 21.48 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 10.4% from 2024 to 2030. The rising demand for organic food and beverages and the increasing presence of organic vineyards are among the key factors driving the market growth across the globe. Organic wines have gained significant popularity owing to their fine taste and health benefits such as promoting health and longevity, thus contributing to market growth." - Research and Markets
Benefits
The great benefits of organic wine farming (and those who support it) include:
- It is the most effective tool available to mankind to sequester carbon (unlike conventional agriculture which is one of the five biggest drivers of climate change)
- It builds robust farming systems and more resilient vineyards better able to withstand the effects of climate change
- Wines made organically are free of chemical pesticides, fertilisers, and other synthetic chemicals whose negative health and environmental impacts are increasingly recognised
Consumers are realising this, and as consumption patterns change, production must follow.
Commenting on the formation of the Association, Siobhan Thompson, CEO of Wines of South Africa (WoSA), stated: "Wines of South Africa is delighted at the formation of the Organic Wines South Africa grouping. This collaboration highlights the importance for sustainable practices within our industry as one of our core pillars, and we look forward to supporting the producers via our platforms in our key focus markets."
Founding members of Organic Wines South Africa
- Avondale
- Joostenberg Estate
- Lazanou Organic Vineyards
- Longridge Wine Estate
- Noble Hill Wine Estate
- Org de Rac
- Stark-Condé
- Reyneke Wines
- Radford Dale Organic Estate
- Sophie Germanier Wines
- Spier
For further information, contact chairperson Alex Dale at alex@radforddale.com.