Michael Fridjhon makes an interesting point in his wine column in Business Day and this is that some of South Africa’s best selling wines in the UK are unknown in the South African market and what does this mean for foreign visitors to South Africa when these wines are not to be found.
Michael writes: “Most of these (top selling SA wine brands in the UK) are unknown in the local market. This may prove something of a problem come 2010, when overseas visitors simply cannot find the Cape wines they have come to regard as the authentic expression of SA. It is evident from the provenance in their brand labels – that the punters are buying them on account of their South African origin.”
There is a strong argument that if you market yourself as a South African wine you need sell your wine in your home market. Otherwise you risk being perceived as a purely marketing invention and that damages the authenticity of the brand.