A close look at South Africa: the current challenges facing the wine industry

The South African wine industry has been particularly devastated by the impact of Covid-19 and subsequent government actions. The extent of the damage was recently highlighted in a powerful article by Bruce Jack for The Buyer. Motivated by this article, which explains how their vineyard could be permanently diminished by the present oversupply, and a desire to help the industry, Richard Bampfield MW has spearheaded various initiatives. Through encouraging people to purchase South African wines, it is hoped this will help to create space for the imminent harvest and encourage orders from retailers. In support of this, WSET School London hopes this webinar will increase awareness of the heart-breaking situation. Richard Bampfield MW will speak to Richard Kershaw MW, founder and winemaker of Richard Kershaw wines in Elgin, to provide insight into the myriad of challenges currently facing the South African wine industry, how it has impacted different size producers, and the 2021 vintage that is imminent. We encourage you to purchase a South African wine of your choice to enjoy alongside the webinar, and post about it on social media using the dedicated hashtag #myfavouritesouthafricanwines.

[@rafpinsuti717]

I did really have no idea about this tremendous situation in ZA!! In Italy we did never even tought about stopping the wine industry like this, I cannot immagine the economical effet of such a decision!!!

[@DrinkinItIn]

Wow, I had no idea the extent and breadth of the issues due to the impact of the pandemic.