19 Aug 2015 Cape Town to host major new wine trade expo next month

Dubbed by the biggest wine show ever to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere, the three-day expo is being organised by Wines of South Africa (WOSA),  and will include hosting a varied range of producers, themed tastings, seminars, workshops and discussions to highlight the country’s wine evolution over the past 20 years.

LIkely to attract capacity numbers of exhibitors, as well as delegates from every continent, Cape Wine 2015 has been billed as a “revelatory event” and “great fun too” by a prominent UK wine personality and a keen observer of the South African industry, the journalist, author, and wine judge, Matthew Jukes. He has also called the show “an essential date in the wine calendar and the only way to taste every newly released wine” the country produces.

Sweden’s 2014 sommelier of the year, Patrik Strömsten, who is also scheduled to attend, says: “Germany has Prowein, Bordeaux, Vinexpo and South Africa sits on top with its Cape Wine. This is the place to be to learn everything you need to know about South Africa and its great wines.”

And between now and when the show starts at the CTICC on September 15, delegates can start immersing themselves in industry developments through fast and fun video clips featuring some of the best-known but also up-and-coming local winemakers, viticulturists and other wine personalities.

This novel #CapeWineConnect campaign is a series of upfront and personal snapshots, charting winemakers’ make or break moments, what makes them get up in the morning, their families, their farm friends and what to expect at Cape Wine 2015. These clips can be viewed by going to http://www.capewine2015.com/pressroom.php

Says WOSA CEO Siobhan Thompson (left): “Our show is a multi-media look at the South African wine industry today – who we are and how we have come to this point. It’s an opportunity to taste from the traditional to the trailblazing and to explore our innovation and technical maturity.

“It’s tempting to view our two-decade trajectory as a jump from zero to hero, but things are seldom that straightforward. The positive reputation the country is currently enjoying is the result of exceptionally hard work over many years and across several fronts.

“Behind the evolution is a solid and sophisticated infrastructure designed to promote quality, technology and innovation. It embraces advances in viticulture, soil and the management of limited and non-renewable resources, investment in plant improvement programmes and training of workers, better operational efficiencies and improved value-chain logistics for smarter and more cost-efficient wine-growing and production.”

For details of exhibitors, seminars, Speakers’ Corner topics and other events, go to www.capewine2015.com, where delegates can also register.

Stay up to date via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeWine2015 and Twitter: @CapeWine2015