“The interest is there in the market;
customers just need a little more information to buy
with confidence.”
Julia Berk
At the retailer where I work (the Premier Group, in
western New York State) I’m the official South
African wine advocate, having worked the 2010
harvest in Stellenbosch. None of the other wine
associates have a specific background in South
African wine, but they are always interested in the
bottles I bring to tasting dinners and enjoy many of
the wines we carry in the store. Likewise, my bosses
are always interested in tasting South African wines
and carried a substantial selection even before I
began working at the store. Lately our selection has
improved dramatically. What we need next is
empowered customers — and that’s an area needing
improvement in the U.S. market as a whole.
I’ve encountered, by and large, open-minded
enthusiasm from my customers toward South African
wine. I’m very involved in our Wine Education
Center, which offers classes to the public on a
variety of topics, and my first big project at
Premier was a class entitled “Introduction to the
Wines of South Africa.” It was booked to capacity
well in advance. There was a clear interest in the
topic, especially on the heels of the World Cup. On
the sales floor, I’m always on lookout for
opportunities to say, “how about a South African
wine?” With few exceptions the response is
receptive, and I even encounter people seeking out
South African wine on a regular basis. The odd
customer with a bias against South African wine is
typically a snob with similar disregard for other
“non-traditional” wine-producing regions and will
only be happy with France, California or Italy. (I
know, SA has been making wine longer than the USA.
Don’t get me started.)
My point is that the interest is there in the
market; customers just need a little more
information to buy with confidence. Salespeople like
me who have intimate familiarity with and passion
for South Africa, who can put a bottle in someone’s
hands and say, “I really love this wine and I think
you will, too,” are helpful on our side – but
producers and industry people on your side can help
make the connection. Perhaps South African
representatives are finding New York City rather
disappointing? Try western New York — it’s a less
crowded scene trend-wise and you’ll be dealing with
outstanding retailers and sophisticated customers
who aren’t just looking for what’s hot this minute.
Classes and tastings led by South African industry
professionals will do wonders for connecting with
the wine-buying public. If I put the word out on
Facebook and the web that a South African winemaker
(or really, just a South African person, for that
matter) was coming to give a presentation at the
store, people would love it. Store staff, too, would
greatly appreciate and benefit from a little more
education which we can then pass on to customers.
Besides the personal connection, any chance for
customers and salespeople to actually taste the
wines is a good thing. After spending time in South
Africa I realized that most of the best wines in the
country were exported in tiny quantities or not at
all, and a lot of what’s available in the US is,
well, not as good. This is true of all imported
wines to some extent, but unfortunately some
imported South African wines are blatantly smoky and
rubbery, and these wines don’t show well next to the
fruit bomb shiraz and malbecs of the world. I taste
every South African wine in our store and can steer
customers in the right direction to make sure their
first experience with South African wine is a good
one. When they’re shopping on their own, chances are
they’ll end up with something with an “exotic” label
that may or may not be well made. Any negative
impressions among retailers about South African
wines (I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about Brett,
as am I) are rooted in the poor examples that get
sent here because South Africans probably wouldn’t
drink them.
Customers need to be more familiar with specific
styles and Wine of Origin appellations as well. If
there is a way to make appellations such as Walker
Bay, Swartland, etc. more prominent on the labels we
can work on branding those regions the way South
America has succeeded in branding its various
appellations. Right now, the average customer
doesn’t recognize the word Stellenbosch, let alone
Elgin or Franschhoek. In terms of wine styles, my
vote goes to chenin blanc, Rhone-style blends,
sauvignon blanc, and Bordeaux blends as Most Likely
to Succeed in this market, with Cape blends,
chardonnay and shiraz/syrah a close second. I would
love to see more merlot and malbec exported as I
think they’d do very well here.
South Africa’s potential appeal as a wine-producing
nation can’t be understated. Just the reactions to
my little blog alone showed me how enchanting and
captivating the country really is to Americans
(myself firmly included!). Stunning scenery, a
veritable playground of cultural diversity, a high
profile in the U.S. (being able to locate a country
on a map is, for better or for worse, a big selling
point for Americans), and sexy, exciting, soulful
wines that are big on flavor and stunningly varied
in style — South Africa hits all the bases for
potential wine stardom. But with customers that are,
even in this day and age, still extremely insecure
about trying new things in the wine world, education
is key. Keep trying to connect with wine drinkers
and industry people here. And get outside NYC, where
you’re a small fish in a huge pond. Play up the
things that make South Africa special and eschew the
Brand Australia gimmicky marketing and Parkerization.
I believe in a bright and exciting future for South
African wine, and the more great wine and passionate
people we see on this side of the pond, the easier
my job is selling it.