Tag: Wines

South African wine company DGB expands its portfolio overseas

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SOUTH AFRICA – South African independent wine producer DGB has partnered with US wine importer Cape Classics to expand its New York City-based importer’s portfolio which currently consists of 26 brands from South Africa and France. Brands including Boschendal, The Beachhouse, Bellingham and Ribshack Red will now form part of the importer’s South African portfolio, reports Bizcommunity. Rob Bradshaw, Cape Classics President and CEO, emphasised his enthusiasm for the partnership saying, “We are exceptionally proud to represent DGB’s legacy as an incredibly inclusive wine company that produces quality-driven wine over…

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Iconic Morgenhof wine estate in South Africa finds new owner after sale for US$3.5m

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SOUTH AFRICA – Centuries old South African wine estate owned by Anne Cointreau, a scion of the family famous for French cognac and orange liqueur, has been sold to an international buyer in Europe for just over R52m (US$3.5m). The 329-year-old Morgenhof estate in Stellenbosch, owned for nearly three decades by Cointreau, was sold as a going concern with all furniture and cellar contents included, the lead auctioneer said, after closing its doors last year because of Covid-19, reports Bizcommunity. The sprawling 210-hectare estate, with a third under vine, includes…

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Independent alcohol company DGB takes over ownership of South African century old wine business Backsberg

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SOUTH AFRICA – DGB, one of South Africa’s largest independent wine and spirit producer, has expanded its portfolio with acquisition of majority stake in Backsberg, an iconic winery in the country. Under the deal, Backsberg’s cellar equipment nestled on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain, will be relocated to Franschhoek, where the wines will now be produced under newly formed entity Backsberg Family Wines. The new Backsberg winery will be housed in a property adjacent to DGB’s Franschhoek Cellars winery.  Following the transaction, the Kosher wines under the “Unorthodox” trademark,…

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Francophone countries lead in Africa’s wine consuming ranking courtesy of historic influences

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AFRICA – Across the globe people are opening wine bottles in bars, restaurants and homes ready to kick back and relax or add a perfect finishing touch to a meal. In Africa, Togo, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire are the top three countries with the highest proportion of the adult population who consume wine, according to a recent survey by research and intelligence firm Sagaci Research. The study which was undertaken over a one-year period from June 2020-June 2021, assessed the percentage of adults who had recently consumed wine within a…

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Change of guard at South Africa’s iconic winery Spier as alcohol industry faces turmoil

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SOUTH AFRICA – One of South Africa’s oldest wine farms, Spier, has promoted its long-serving Cellar Master, Frans Smit, to be its Managing Director after 25 years of winemaking and viticultural leadership. To succeed him is his protégé, Johan Jordaan, the new Cellar Master of the three centuries old winery. The historic Stellenbosch-based farm, established in 1692, is renowned for developing awarded, quality wines in local and international markets.  From the vineyards where Spier sources grapes to the cellar producing terroir-driven wines, there’s a well-recognised commitment to the sustainability of…

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South African wine industry raises alarm over inability to stay afloat with continued domestic sale bans

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SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa’s wine body, Vinpro, has raised red flags pertaining to the continued restrictions imposed on domestic wine sales, which is deemed to potentially cripple most businesses within the sector. According to the non-profit organization representing 2 600 businesses, the South African wine industry is at a tipping point as many businesses, particularly small companies and those under black ownership, face potential closure in the next three to 12 months. This is according to the Impact of Covid-19 on the Wine Value-Chain Survey that Vinpro conducted early…

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South Africa issues petroleum company bp with liquor licence first of its kind

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SOUTH AFRICA – The multinational oil and gas company, bp, has broken the record of becoming the first petroleum company in South Africa to be granted a liquor licence. The company has collaborated with one of its convenience partners, Pick n Pay, to offer a new product dubbed wine-to-go. With this, South Africans can pop in at Pick n Pay Express located at the petroleum station and grab a bottle. This according to bp forms part of its redefining convenience strateg, aimed to deliver a superior customer experience, whether in-store…

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South Africa liquor company DGB digitizes operations, taps clouds solution

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SOUTH AFRICA – DGB, one of South Africa’s largest independent wine and spirit producers and distributors, has adopted the use of clouds solutions to streamline operations and bolster sales. The cellar owner chose the SAP Sales Cloud Retail Execution (ReX) solution and worked with implementation partner Consnet to design and introduce the technology into the business. Pieter Steyn, Commercial Manager at DGB highlights that the system was essential to integrate all business functions and processes in real time to help manage the large team of salespeople effectively, reports Africa Business…

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SA’s wine maker Nederburg hands over its cellar’s keys to Samuel Viljoen

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SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa’s leading and most celebrated wineries, Nederburg has announced the appointment of Samuel Viljoen as its new cellar-master. The seasoned wine maker takes over the reins from Lizelle Gerber, who has left to pursue other interests. In his new role, Viljoen will oversees the production of the Paarl cellar’s multi-tiered range, distributed across more than 80 countries worldwide. Prior to the appointment, he was a fully-fledged winemaker at the company and has been part of the legendary winery boosting of over 200 years of existence, since…

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Rwanda launches new banana alcoholic beverages produced in recently opened US$1.2m factory

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RWANDA – Rwanda has commenced operations at its Rwf1.2 billion (US$1.2m), Rwamagana Banana Community Processing Centre, producing banana alcoholic beverages. The factory which set turbines of its machines rolling in the beginning of April, has a production capacity of 28,000 litres per day i.e., 3,500 crates. According to reports by The New Times Rwanda, construction works for the facility started in 2016, but stalled for years. The center was fully constructed and equipped in January 2019 with production starting in 2020. However, they were again met with slight set-back of…

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