Here is a funny cartoon I spotted in the  New Yorker, by William Hamilton. Here is the link to the New Yorker’s Cartoon Bank page. SB

Head’s up, this post follows on from here.

New York

The Great South African Wine Show was next on the agenda: a two-city wine tasting tour to New York and Montreal. The tastings were put together by Wines of South Africa, the generic marketing body for South African wines abroad. WOSA has come under pressure in the past for not putting much budget behind the North American market, particularly the US. Many producers, including ourselves, think there are serious opportunities in the US and a greater spend is required. The flip-side of the coin is that you need serious budget - and I mean serious - to actually make waves, from a marketing perspective, in mainstream media. So, there is a strong argument that WOSA’s resources would be better spent elsewhere where South Africa, as a wine category, has more of a footprint. Either way, over a 100 producers made the trans-Atlantic trip to showcase their wines in New York.

The NYC tasting was held on the top floor of a 13-story building in Tribeca, a trendy downtown neighbourhood. The venue was great, and set the scene for what proved to be a good day. The first section of the tasting comprised of trade, and saw a range of media, restaurateurs, sommeliers, retailers, importers and distributors attend. I was impressed at the quality of the attendees and made a number of strong contacts. The second part of the tasting was targetted at consumers, and whilst it was not as well attended, I think it was worth it: for many consumers it was their first experience of tasting South African wines. If South Africa, as a wine category, is going to be taken seriously, this type of event is critical.

I was kept well-entertained throughout the tasting by my neighbours for the day, Adi Badenhorst and his father Andre. You can’t really beat AA Badenhorst Family wines. if you are arranging producers alphabetically. And the wines are delicious too.

Montreal

From NYC, I was off to Montreal in Canada. The land of the maple leaf flag is not dissimilar to the likes of Sweden, in that the state controls the sale of alcoholic beverages. Montreal is situated in the state of Quebec, and as such, the Société des alcools du Québec or SAQ is in charge.

The tasting in Montreal took place not far from the old city area, and had a similar structure to that of NYC. There was also a lunch to kick off the day, with included a number of key members of the SAQ. Naturally, the trade section of the tasting also included many of the SAQ shop owners and wine advisers. South Africa is making good ground in Canada, and is hot on the heals of Australia in terms of wine sales.

There was a lot of postitive feedback from members of the SAQ on our wines, with the Pumphouse Shiraz 2007 going down especially well. So, I high hopes for Quebec and what we can achieve in the market.

Okay, so I have been fairly busy the last few months, with much more on the way.

SB

The pic above is courtesy of this site.

If I think back, there has been quite a lot on the go…

Dusseldorf

I received an invite - for which I was quite flattered - to participate in a seminar on Marketing Innovations at Prowein, in Dusseldorf. The seminar formed part of the Down2Earth initiative. Down2earth saw South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and US marketing generics combine to promote New World wines jointly. This was done through a series of seminars, presentations and tastings. The speakers list was impressive, and the sessions attracted plenty of people over the course of the fair. I thought it was great that the various countries could work together on this promotion, and provide important insights to the New World as a whole.

Prowein itself was an experience - I have never seen so many producers and wine gathered at one show. It was a serious visual reminder to what makes up the competition. The competition aside, it was also a good opportunity to taste some delicious German Rieslings.

Oudtshoorn

Back this side of the equator, we headed up to Oudtshoorn, in the Karoo, for the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees. The annual KKNK sees a range of predominately Afrikaans art and culture brought together, along with plenty of live music and the odd glass or three of wine. We have purchased the wine rights for the festival and now supply the wine to official festival events and bars.

Being at the KKNK is a very interesting venture, and one which I am excited about. The festival attracts a largely Afrikaans crowd from the Western Cape. This year, between the art and entertainment and entrance to the festival grounds, 160 000 tickets were sold over the course of the eight days that the KKNK took place. It was quite a steep learning curve for us to manage supplying wine to an event of this magnitude, but we managed well, and there are some very promising prospects going forwards. No doubt my Afrikaans is due to improve.

Backsberg

Back home, and we started preparing for Old Mutual Day, the 165th anniversary celebration for the insurance come investment house, which we were hosting on the farm. The idea for the Cape Town leg of the anniversary, centred around a picnic concert for Old Mutual policy holders. The line-up for the event was top-notch and included the likes of Johnny Clegg, Freshlyground, Goldfish, Lira and the Gang of Instrumentals. There was a lot of work put into preparing an awesome picnic/concert site, and making sure our road and parking infrastructure was up to scratch.

The event was set to be held on a Sunday, but sadly on the Thursday prior, we had to make the call to move the event on account of bad weather. Whilst we would have loved to have hosted the event on the farm, a picnic concert in the rain would not have been fun. No doubt we will live to host another one.

Okay that’s it for Part 1. Watch this space for Part 2. SB

Update - here is Part 2.

We are really excited about the award, especially after the wine picked up 90 points in the Wine Spectator not long ago.

This award marks a good run for us at the Concours Mondial: last year, the Babylons Toren 2003 was awarded a Grand Gold at the competition.

Okay, enough bragging, my suggestion would be to try it it for yourself. Swing by the farm or order it in South Africa here or in Europe here. SB

The pics are courtesy of the Concours Mondial Flickr site.

Tomorrow we have live jazz music going from 12h30-15h30 at the restaurant with our delicious a la carte menu on offer. On Sunday we have Guy Feldman strumming away on his guitar to accompany the lamb on the spit and set-menu. Guy will be coming back on Tuesday to help celebrate the public holiday. Tuesday is Freedom Day.

The weather is looking top-notch for the weekend, so be sure to come by for lunch or glass of wine. Booking is advisable - please contact Dalene, our restaurant manager, on 021 875 5952.

Have a good weekend. SB

Backsberg has won the Sustainability Award at the inaugural Drinks Business Green Awards. The winners of this international competition were announced recently at an awards ceremony in London. Louise Wishart, marketing manager of our UK importer, Ellis of Richmond, was there to receive the award on our behalf.

We were also chuffed to have been a runner-up in the Green Company of the Year category. Entries to the competition included many of the wine industry’s world leaders in sustainability. You can read more about the awards and the winners here.

The official blurb regarding the awards is as follows:

The Drinks Business Green Awards highlights and rewards leadership on environment, sustainability and climate change by drinks companies worldwide. Designed to raise awareness of green issues in our industry and boost the role of marketing in influencing consumer behaviour, the Drinks Business Green Awards provide a high-profile platform for companies to showcase their positive commitment to the planet. With support from a range of influential supporting partners and an eminent panel of expert judges, the awards emphasise how sustainability is core to development in the drinks industry.

According to the judging panel, the Sustainability Award recognised our efforts in employing the most efficient and effective sustainable practices throughout the farm, whether in the production facilities or our agricultural practices. Judges took into account all aspects of production where waste management, recycling and sustainable practices have been improved in the last three years and more particularly in the last 12 months. You can view the photo gallery that was part of our entry here.

In a word, it was really great to receive this type of recognition. In response to winning the award, my dad sums it in saying “Solutions are plentiful if you accept that a ‘business as usual’ approach is no longer viable. You can’t have holy cows anymore.

“Affecting change is both challenging and exciting. Positive recognition for bringing about environmental change servers as an important motivator for Backsberg to carry on its effort in the field of environmental care.”

South Africa did really well in the awards with Inge Kotzé, project co-ordinator for the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative being awarded Green Personality and the Lifetime Achievement Award going to Paul Cluver. Congratulations to them! SB

Drinks Business Green Awards Certificate

Shipping small quantities of wine directly to private customers in Europe is not a new idea. Up to recently, however, it has been horribly expensive, with shipping costs often exceeding the cost of the actual wine. Combine those high costs with the airlines clamping down on one taking wine on board, and there is a significant hassle factor to ordering a case or two of wine.

To counter this, we have teamed up with a European logistics company and set up warehousing for our wine in Europe. So, the orders are actually dispatched from stock that we now have in place at the warehouse, which brings the costs down significantly.

There has been a really great response to the system in the tasting room. To give you an idea, to ship a case of 12 bottles within Germany the cost is about 12 Euros. The wines themselves are priced in Euros/Pounds, and they are a bit more expensive compared to the tasting room prices, but when you add it all up it’s still a seriously good deal.

You can check out the European e-store here. For more information you can contact Danwin, our tasting room manager, on danwin@backsberg.co.za or +27 21 8755141. SB

I’m very fortunate to be making both wine and brandy and to see the whole process through from the start to the end. When we are working with the brandy in the cellar, there is definitely an added excitement among the cellar crew.

2.    What kind of grapes do you use to make the Sydney Back Brandy?

We only use high-quality Chenin Blanc grapes. A quality start in brandy is extremely important; if you cut corners you will be found out later as any mistake is magnified in the process.

3.    When did Backsberg start producing Brandy and what does your range include?

In 1990, legislation changed allowing private estates to produce estate brandies. The late Sydney Back jumped at this opportunity and imported a pot still from France and started producing brandy. In 1995, the brandy won the Domecq Trophy for the best brandy in the world at the London International Wine and Spirit Competition! Our range now includes a 5, 10 and 15 year pot still brandy.

4.    What was your first encounter with premium brandy?

Just after finishing high school I went on holiday with some friends. As it happened one friend picked up a nasty stomach bug on the trip. We had been saving a bottle of Oude Molen 8 year old brandy for the end of the holiday to celebrate our finishing school. The brandy was opened prematurely, however, to ease the pain of the friend. I can’t prove the medicinal properties of the brandy, but the mood of both the sick friend and that of the group certainly picked up on tasting a premium brandy for the first time.

5.    How do you think the premium brandy market in South Africa has changed over the last five to ten years?

There is a definite excitement and awareness among more people regarding premium South African brandies. I also believe that more and more young people are starting to appreciate quality pot still brandies.

6.    What can we look forward to going forwards from Backsberg?

We are currently selling some of our 15 year pot still brandy, but we still have a fair amount of stock in maturation. In 2016, Backsberg will be a 100 years old. All I am saying is watch the space…

7.    If you had to single out a favourite brandy aroma what would that be?

I love the nutty character of older brandies.

8.    What’s your ultimate food and brandy pairing?

It’s got to be a decadent dessert pairing. You can’t go wrong with chocolate mud pie and a fine pot still brandy.

9.    Are there any misconception that you think people have about brandy?

Without wanting to sound snobbish, I feel that too many people still think brandy should be mixed with Coke in order to be enjoyed. Premium brandy is a whole new world that I would love more people to explore.

10.    For those looking to further their brandy knowledge and appreciation, what would you recommend?

I highly recommend reading the book “Fire Water”, which provides a brilliant overview on brandy in South Africa. I would encourage people to taste as many pot still brandies from different producers as possible . There is also a brandy route which makes for a great day out in the Cape Winelands.

Backsberg was the supplier of wine for the VIP hospitality area for this game. It was really special being part of such a historical event.  We’ll be there for the next test game 2, which features a rugby festival on the 6th February. I can report that the stadium looks absolutely incredible and no doubt supporters are going to treated to a feast of soccer entertainment come June.

They made 20 000 tickets available for this first event and the rugby is going to see 40 000 visit the 68 000 capacity stadium. I took some snaps of the game which you can see here.

Cheers, SB

In late September, I spent a couple of days in Napa Valley. The experience was nothing short of incredible. The trip to Napa was organised through the GWCN and in turn the very dynamic Napa Valley Vintners office. So, one might argue that I got a slightly biased view of Napa; that being said, I had a great time and learnt a tremendous amount. Here are some of my top take-home points from the trip.

1. A rising tide lifts all boats philosophy - I was struck by the sense of producers playing to the same ‘brand Napa’ tune. There was a genuine sense of knowledge-sharing between vineyards - not in a Kumbaya let’s hold hands type of way, but rather in a ‘if we work together constructively we can grow both individually and collectively’ sense.
2. Environmental focus - A green approach is becoming more and more mainstream. Through the Napa Green Certified Winery and Certified Land programs, producers are really getting on board. Sure, there is an element of greenwashing in some cases, but for the most part what I saw was really positive.
3. Telling stories - Damn, they are good at putting their best foot forward. In some cases the story telling at tasting rooms can be a touch staged and maybe contrived, but by and large the people that I encountered know how to tell their story, and tell it well.
4. Staff training - The level of staff training was one of the things that impressed me the most. It was immediately clear that Napa producers have invested heavily into training their staff to be seriously competent. It was also not uncommon to have people who where qualified as winemakers working in the tasting room environment.
5. Tasting room offerings - Producers have moved beyond the regular wine tasting experience. With the proliferation of vineyards in Napa, the competition is fierce, and this has forced tasting rooms to get creative with their offering and up the quality in general.
6. Going direct - Shipping laws in the US are hugely complex. Despite this challenge, I saw many producers investing into the direct-to-consumer sales channel, wherever possible. One struggled to find a winery which didn’t have some kind of wine club or loyalty program.
7. Production focus -One of things that surprised me the most was the extent to which wine in and of itself has led tourism in Napa. Destination/tourism marketing is only now starting to kick into gear. Napa Vintners has focused on punting Napa as one of the top wine production areas in the world and everything else has fallen in line with that positioning.
8. Resources into marketing - There is some serious cash in Napa, and producers are seemingly not afraid to get out the ol’ cheque book. Sure, there are your investment bankers and IT tycoons getting in on the act, but ultimately marketing as a function is highly regarded and this is backed with serious capital.
9. Social Media Adoption - With the proximity of Silicon Valley, I suppose it’s no surprise that there is a very high level of adoption of all the various forms of social media and this is in turn twinned with strategies to drive online sales. Many consumers are interacting with wineries through online means.
10. Social/community outreach - Whether through their famous auction or various outreach programs there is a real willingness and energy on the part of some of the producers to engage with the Napa community at large, which is really great.

Here is a short slide show of some pics from Napa.

A big thank you to Great Wine Capitals and Rex Stults of Napa Valley Vintners and his team for arranging my visit. SB

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