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Xelelo excels as top cellar worker
Driven and committed to succeed, Ivan Xelelo had one goal this year – to be South Africa’s top cellar worker. Xelelo, who is a senior cellar assistant at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West, was announced as the SA Cellar Worker of the Year 2016 during an...
Damages after devastating black frost spell
Farmers in the Breedekloof Wine Valley are assessing damages following a night of widespread ‘black frost’ in the region, with farmers citing it as the “the most devastating frost the Valley has seen in 21 years”. Black frost occurs when the temperature is below...
Wine grape scion material sales drop
Vititec annually supplies 95% of all wine grape scion material to the local nursery industry. This season was one of the worst experienced as only 12.2 million buds were sold compared to the 18 million of the previous year (67% decrease), making it the least...
Wines of South Africa appoints new communications manager
Wines of South Africa (Wosa) has appointed editor and wine writer, Maryna Strachan, as communications manager. In her new role, she will serve as the liaison between Wosa and its member producers as well as with international trade and media. She will also support...
SA rooibos IP innovation at WIPO congress in Geneva
The extensive trademarks and patents protecting two of South Africa’s botanical treasures, namely Rooibos and Honeybush, has caught the attention of the international community where the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba was invited to deliver a keynote...
Collaborating for trade
The annual World Wine Trade Group (WWTG) meeting was held in Ottawa Canada on 3 to 5 October 2016 and attended by member countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, United States, Georgia, Canada and South Africa. Observer countries included...
Clarity over liquor products
When new alcoholic products are developed, a tariff classification has to be obtained from Excise in order to clear up uncertainties. The Liquor Products Act (Act 60 of 1989) regulates various aspects of liquor products but excludes however, any beer and sorghum...
Biased documentary condemned
A documentary titled “Bitter grapes – Slavery in the vineyards” by the Danish investigative journalist, Tom Heinemann, recently aired on Swedish television. This documentary puts several South African wineries, as well as the wine industry at large, in a very bad...
SADC EU EPA negotiations and implementations
The signing of the SADC EU EPA Agreement took place in Botswana on the 9 June 2016 by all SACU Member States. The EU Parliament approved the agreement after legal scrapping. South African Parliament ratified the Agreement on the 30 August 2016 and Namibian...
A refocus on the important
Vititec’s main focus is on clonal selection, virus elimination, grafting, establishing and maintaining clean mother blocks, and supplying grafting material to the local nursery industry. Since 2007 Vititec has imported 60 new clones and 15 new cultivars from ENTAV,...
Increasing wine’s share of the market
As part of the WISE initiative we have gained wonderful insights on the lay of the land in the local domestic liquor market. We are not up against our fellow wine neighbours, but as a collective we need to target the consumers that are drinking beer, craft beer,...
Presenting new clones
Counoise, Grillo and Piquepoul Blanc are some of the cultivars that may become a household name in the South African wine industry following Vititec’s annual clone tasting. A panel of prominent viticulturists and winemakers participated in a tasting and discussion...