Mail & Guardian reporter
South Africa’s wine industry has taken another step towards transformation and global competitiveness with the conclusion of a 21month review and the adoption of recommendations ranging from affirmative action and quality?control to logistical support.?
This process comes in the wake of longstanding accusations that established growers and exporters’ monopolies are favoured over new entrants and not enough is done to root out the dop system the part payment of?wages in wine to workers.?The Vision 2020 review was started in June 1999 to investigate an integrated?approach for the three sectors of the local industry: wine, brandy and wine?distillates, and grapebased products.
At the end of February the Wine Industry Network of Expertise and Technology (Winetech) adopted the review report, Strategic Outline for the South?African Wine Industry: A Road Map for Future Competitiveness, and all its?recommendations.
Earlier this month key players in the wine industry met to set up a task team to oversee the implementation of the recommendations. Winetech?executive director Jan Booysen said some recommendations were already being?put into practice, and others would be implemented over the next five years.?
This local review/transformation process is similar to programmes in Australia and California, which launched a combined 10year?strategy this year
Winetech, the driving force behind Vision 2020, was established as a?nonprofit association three years ago with representatives of wine?producers, wholesalers, the Institute of Wine Biotechnology at the?University of Stellenbosch and agricultural institutes such as Elsenburg Agricultural College and the Nietvoorbij Institute for Viticulture and Oenology, together with the government.?
Winetech chair Jan Scannell said in a recent statement that it was?important for the thousands of relatively independent players in the?industry to buy into the review/recommendation process to ensure success.?
“At issue is the industry’s sustainability and competitiveness in a global?market that is becoming ever more discerning in its demand for product?quality and outstanding customer service. The challenge is to formulate a?process that will take the South African wine industry from its productionorientated attitudes towards a realistic vision of what it can become if it?is willing to invest and act purposefully.”?
Working towards establishing South Africa as a brand, easily recognisable on shelves of wine stores abroad, is one of the recommendations, together with a system of?quality assurance and logistical support for the industry.
Other recommendations include “developing an industrial relations system for?farm workers”, decisive, imaginative and “wellpublicised steps to implement?a social responsibility and affirmative action programme”, “instituting a leadership system for the industry” and establishing an effective business?intelligence service.
South Africa is the sixthlargest wine producer in the world,?producing predominately white wines. In 1999 domestic winegrowers produced a?harvest of 9,1million hectolitres: 65% of this was used in winemaking, the?rest for brandy, grape concentrate and grape spirit. About 104 000ha of land?are under cultivation with about 312million vines. About 80% of wines are?still produced by cooperatives. About 4 500 primary wine producers employ 50 000 people.
In the recent past there have already been several changes. Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery and Distillers South Africa merged and the new company, Distell, was?listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on March 19.?
Several rich, predominately Gautengbased, business people have acquired their?own vineyards, often making large investments in high quality vines and?machinery. One of these people is Rand Merchant Bank chair GT Ferreira, who owns Tokara.?
And there has been recognition of black and women wine makers. Carmen?Stevens and Lizelle Gerber last year were the first women wine makers to be?honoured in the prestigious 2000 Absa Top 10 Pinotage wine competition.
Gerber joined Avontuur as a wine maker last year after working at Zevenwacht?for three years and spending a year in France. Stevens is now the wine?maker at Tukulu in Papkuilsfontein near Darling on the West Coast, after?working at Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery.