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Necessity, it is said, is the mother of invention. And the wine industry is proving inventive right now as it struggles to remain relevant in an environment where it cannot traditionally sell its products to customers or interact with them.
Cue a host of online wine tasting events from the best wineries in all of South Africa as well as their global counterparts. No, neither Zoom nor Houseparty is advanced enough to allow you to lick your screen for a 100% wine tasting experience.
But you can at least commit to the winemaker. And as long as you have some of the fruit of the vine hidden after four weeks of confinement, you can also try what he or she is trying in the distant Paarl or Franschhoek.
Or, thanks to the magic of the internet, you can even venture further afield in the Barossa Valley wine area in Australia or the famous Napa Valley in California.
Choose from a wide range of virtual tastings available.
“We miss visiting the wine farms, driving through historic entrances to sample great wines. But we cannot deny that there are some advantages to all the virtual tastings that take place during the closing period, “says the local wine website. Wine.co.za, while urging readers to enjoy a surprisingly large number of upcoming virtual tastings.
Among the offerings are a series of tastings led by Eben Bezuidenhoud, winemaker-turned-sommelier in the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in Gansbaai, on the coast of the Western Cape. “His closing wine tasting series is informative and covers broader topics like sparkling wines in South Africa, so you don’t need the same bottle you are using for your tasting,” he says. Wine.co.za. You can join Eben here: https://www.instagram.com/eben.the.sommelier/channel/
The website also recommends the Black Cellar Club (BLACC) master class study sessions through Zoom and Facebook Live.
“They’ve had Joseph Dhafana from Mosi Wines, Andrea Mullineux from Mullineux Wines, Alistair Rimmer from Kleine Zalze and many more sessions with special guest speakers, every Tuesday and Thursday at noon,” says writer Trudie Webb. Contact BLCC here: https://www.facebook.com/BLACCSA/
Wineries around the world are reevaluating how to do business
According to a report by the Bloomberg news agency, these are scenes that unfold around the world, from California to Cape Town. Centuries-old wineries and vineyards are re-evaluating their businesses at every turn as the pandemic shakes everything from labor and transportation to vital tourism and hospitality industries.
“Many wineries rely on direct consumer sales through websites or membership clubs. For PlumpJack (winery) in Napa Valley, which relies on restaurants for two-thirds of its business, that means FaceTime tastings and virtual question-and-answer sessions, ”says Bloomberg.
He also quotes Angélica Valenzuela, sales manager for Wines of Chile, saying: “He challenges us to sell our brands with different methods, to be more creative, to use technology. In the end, when things return to normal, we will have our regular channels and new channels developed during the coronavirus crisis. “
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