Nederburg wine sale hits record R5,8m
Cape Town - Sales at the annual
Nederburg Wine Auction
reached a record R5,8 million
this weekend, with local retailer
Spar buying the largest share of
the specially selected lots of
wine on auction, followed
closely by Macro, the national
wholesaling group.
An auction spokesman said
local retailers remained the top
buyers this year. Pick `n Pay
took up position as the fourth
largest buyer, followed by
Shoprite Checkers.
Spar spent R674 500 on 731
cases, and this retailer alone
accounted for 11,5 percent of all
wine sold at the auction.
The auction of some 10 000
cases only represents 0,02 percent
of South Africa`s production
of highest priced wine
(wine in corked bottles).
However, the spokesman said
participation by supermarket
groups was developing the
market for premium wines, as
opposed to the smaller wine
shops which had never been
among the top buyers.
Some 8,31 percent of the
wine went to foreign buyers - a
decline from 9,65 percent last
year, 24,99 percent in 1998 and
46,3 percent in 1997.
This decline was because
many overseas buyers ``took a
battering on the high prices last
year`` and local buyers were
prepared to pay higher prices
for quality wine than the foreign
buyers were prepared to pay.
There were 191 registered foreign
buyers, including ones from
Canada, Denmark, Germany,
Japan, Kenya, Mozambique,
Mauritius, New Zealand, Scotland,
Sweden, Switzerland, the
UK, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Together the foreign buyers
bought wine worth R488 000.
Frans Stroebel, the outgoing
managing director of Stellenbosch
Farmers Winery, said the
industry should start generic
advertising of South African
brands. Tori Shinichiro, the
president of the Suntory international
corporation, agreed.
Shinichiro said Japanese
consumers did not have any
specific image of the country or
its wines, despite their consistent
quality.
``If you could collaborate
with your tourist authority it
would be a good idea to
encourage Japanese tourists to
visit South Africa,`` he said.
He added that there was
scope for building awareness of
local brand names in Japan.
``We are developing sensitive
palates and good noses.``
There was a significant rise
in prices for white wines to an
average of R424,87 a case from
R397,15 last year.
The highest priced table
wine sold at the auction was the
1997 Thelema Chardonnay
Reserve, for which R115 100 was
paid for 80 sixbottle cases.