An article in today’s Business Day newspaper quotes Wines of South Africa CEO Su Birch as saying the local wine industry had “derived a tangible benefit” as the result of South Africa’s hosting the 2010 World Cup.
Su told the newspaper that packaged wine exports were still on the rise, despite the continued strength of the rand and the protraction of the global recession. She added there had been a marked increase in sales volumes among those countries with a high level of interest in football.
“For the six months to the end of June, the volumes of packaged wines exported to Germany rose by an impressive 50%. To the US, which interestingly bought more tickets to attend the games than any other foreign country, exports increased 32% for the period,” Su said.