Wine exhibition comes of age

Nov 16, 2015

SOUTH Africa is one of the biggest wine producers in the world. The event therefore intended to raise awareness about good South African wines among Ugandan consumers

By Grace Nafuna

 

THE Wines of South Africa Kampala Tour took place at the Serena Hotel, attended by A-list consumers, media and wine industry owners, the exhibition started off on a good note. 

 

Unlike other events that are punctuated by plenty of speeches, this one was simple. As soon as the guests arrived, they were at will to move from table to table trying out the different types of wines from different producers.

 

The festival was first introduced in Uganda by Yogi Birigwa with the help of South African Airways as the major sponsor, 5 years ago. Later the main organizers of the event, Wines of South Africa, decided to take matters in their own hands and organize the event without the help of sponsors.

 

This rebirth took place three years ago first with only a handful of exhibitors. On Friday however there were over 17 wine producers showcasing their products: a clear indication that the event has come of age.

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This year’s exhibitors were Accolade Wines, Beverage Intelligence, Cape Classic, DGB, Distell, Excelsior Marketing, Fairview Wines, Kanonkop Wine Estate, Koelenhof Wine Cellar, KWV, Origin Wine, Overhex Wines and Stellenbosh Vineyards.

 

What stood out was a sweet wine with peachy flavours called Cederberg , distributed by Beverage Intelligence. Its smooth, light and fresh taste sat well on the tongue.

 

Another white wine called Jamjar, distributed by Cape Classics was worth writing home about. Their red version of the wine, however, was a little too intense on the tongue.

 

South Africa is one of the biggest wine producers in the world. The event therefore intended to raise awareness about good South African wines among Ugandan consumers. 

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There was a concern over the number of poor quality wines from abroad that prompted wines of South Africa to start this campaign, hence the need to showcase their products.

 

Earlier that day, Beverage Intelligence one of the wine producers at the event conducted a training session to raise awareness among Ugandan wine consumers and taste makers about the wine process in South Africa. The winetasting event was therefore a wrap up of what had been a long day of learning.

 

Mbatha Matombe the marketing manager of Wines of South Africa remarked that there is a growing market for wine in Uganda.

 

He reasoned that because the middle class in Uganda travels a lot and are highly exposed, there is a keen interest among them to have access to the things they see abroad or on the internet.

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This class he added is highly aspirational and seeks to experience the utmost good things in life. Wine therefore is on top of the list of the drinks they want to consume.

 

He further added that its consumerism is also aided by the fact that wine unlike other drinks has health benefits. It’s high in antioxidants and is good for the heart.

 

The event ended with clearly impressed guests.

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