What makes this job interesting is going out, meeting, interviewing people and finding out what makes them tick. That along with visiting vineyards, wineries, distilleries and, to a lesser extent, breweries to find out what they are up to, is what makes the likes of me get out of bed in the morning.
The Cape 2012 trade exhibition, which took place last week in Cape Town, was the “best ever”, according to the chairman of Wines of South Africa (Wosa), Johann Krige.
You have to hand it to Wines of South Africa. They know how to organise an event. To say Cape 2012 is just another trade show, would be a great injustice and understatement.
Troy Christensen, Accolade Wines' American CEO, is not a man encumbered with traditional values. Wine may traditionally come in 75cl bottles with a cork closure but what interests him is the move to pouches, bag-in-box and ready-to-serves (RTS).
After 14 years with McGuigan Wines, Paul Schaafsma, Accolade Wines’ general manager for the UK, Ireland, Africa, Middle East and South America, is acquainting himself with the company and the clock is ticking on the 90 days he has to come up with a strategic plan.
In his inaugural column for Drinks International, Branson takes a wider look at the overall non-alcoholic spirits sector to identify which brands will thrive and which won’t survive.
