Knowing how overwhelming delegates can find huge wine exhibitions, Wines of South Africa (WOSA), who are hosts to Cape Wine 2004, South Africa’s biggest ever wine industry showcase, have come up with a highly innovative search tool to simplify the process.
Called WineLink, the service, believed to be an online world-first has been developed in conjunction with online wine daily, wine.co.za. It categorises exhibiting wineries by varietal and price point and even identifies which wineries are seeking agencies to represent them in specific countries.
You can access it via www.capewine2004.com, www.capewine2004.co.za and via www.wosa.co.za.
Cape Wine 2004 runs from March 30 to April 2 at the Cape Town Convention Centre and is open to the South African trade and public on Thursday, April 1 and Friday, April 2, with a single option ticket price of R200 that covers both days. Already hundreds of overseas trade and media delegates have registered.
Says WOSA CEO Su Birch: 'WineLink gives the exhibition a competitive edge in world wine terms. It lets you organise your time effectively and focus on your specific areas of interest. It also underscores the sophistication and the highly professional tone of the exhibition itself.
'So, for example, an overseas wine merchant interested in identifying producers offering Shiraz at a specific price point, say between £7 and £14, can use WineLink to list all those wineries participating in Cape Wine 2004 falling within these parameters and, at the same time, find out exactly where their exhibition stands are located. The same applies to any local member of the wine trade.
'Agents seeking to represent wineries operating within certain markets will also be able to identify which wineries are looking for sales or distribution support by country. The facility also profiles every winery on exhibition, so additional details on location, positioning and accomplishment can be easily accessed. Contact details are also provided on each winery, giving anyone wanting to liaise directly with a winery in advance of the exhibition the means to do so.' Birch says this service will be extended by May to cover all the country’s wine exporters.
Cape Wine 2004 represents virtually all the Cape’s exporting producers with producer space oversubscribed, according to Birch. 'South Africa’s strong showing in international competitions and positive ratings in wine and general interest media have raised the country’s profile, as has the enormous popularity of the Cape as a tourist destination. This is why members of the industry are so keen to be involved.' She said the calibre of speakers at the seminars was a major draw card for visitors.
'South Africa’s foremost researchers on terroir will be talking, as will award-winning winemakers like André van Rensburg of Vergelegen, Adi Badenhorst of Rustenberg, Teddy Hall of Rudera, Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof, Anthony Hamilton Russell of Hamilton Russell Vineyards, and many others, will appear on some of the seminar panels. Other high profile participants include John Platter, Frank Prial of the New York Times and Jerry Shriver of USA Today.'
Birch added that a seminar attracting significant interest was one covering the South African industry from the present to the end of the decade, to be chaired by wine journalist and judge Michael Fridjhon.
To register go to www.capewine2004.com or www.capewine2004.co.za
Issued by: DKC (De Kock Communications) on behalf of Wine of South Africa (WOSA)
Contact: Su Birch, CEO, WOSA
Tel: +27 (0) 21 883-3860
DKC
Contact: Tessa de Kock
Tel: +27 (0) 21 422-2690
Email: pippa@dkc.co.za