As part of the WISE initiative we have gained wonderful insights on the lay of the land in the local domestic liquor market. We are not up against our fellow wine neighbours, but as a collective we need to target the consumers that are drinking beer, craft beer, ciders, whisky, vodka and cognac. A greater focus on understanding the ‘world’ of the future wine drinking consumer is required – what drives them and how we can unleash this untapped market?

The industry is now developing a local wine category positioning, with the overarching objective to position wine as a desirable liquor choice – create a strong emotional bond between wine and its consumers, with a clear, focused and compelling wine brand proposition that will guide all marketing efforts and be implemented as a collective. We will be following a phased approach, with Stage 1 taking into account basic marketing elements (3 to 6 months).

The WISE local wine volume and per capita consumption growth targets are attainable, but all components of the Wine Category Strategy need to be implemented in order to achieve the desired results. Whilst the SA Wine Industry is required to execute the strategy at category level, Brand Owners (Producer Cellars, Private and Estate Owners, Liquor Brands) will need to take responsibility for doing so for their own brands – effective marketing consists of creating awareness, design a proper plan and drive the sales! – Christo Conradie, VinPro