There has been uncertainty in the industry on whether the judging of wines during wine competitions may continue under the regulations applicable to the Level 3 lockdown, as well as the restrictions that apply during judging activities.
The industry has requested a specific legal opinion from Danie Cronjé Attorneys Incorporated in this regard.
“In our opinion none of the current regulations prohibit the judging of wine during wine competitions, provided that those regulations which prescribe certain requirements regarding the way in which the work is carried out are adhered to.”
View the full legal opinion here.
In line with this, we would like to request organisers of wine competitions to consider the following aspects pertaining to competitions under the current Level 3 regulations, as well as in planning the way forward:
- Ensure that a specific wine tasting protocol is developed, covering relevant health and safety measures (including social distancing), relating to staff, participants and consumers, as set out in the Government Gazette regulations.
- Adhere to regulations related to the transport of wine and samples.
- Keep local authorities informed of relevant activities.
- Differentiate between activities relevant to competition tastings, compared to events such as awards ceremonies (gatherings, operation of economic and public sector).
- Use technology in an innovative manner.
- Ensure that all communication relevant to the competition includes responsible consumption messaging.
Please note that the legal opinion and considerations outlined above are relevant to the current level 3 lockdown stage, and specifically relate to wine competitions (not general tastings), and may change subject to any regulation amendments going forward.
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