Doolhof General Manager, Daan Coetzee, participated in “The Great South African Wine Show” that was arranged by WOSA – Wines of South Africa, the industry body charged with promoting South African wine in overseas markets. The show was held in New York City on 13 May 2010, in a restored factory building in the Tribeca area, that offered spectacular views over the East River.

Daan writes that the event, which had a South African theme, due to the use of large displays of fresh proteas, was very well attended by the wine trade in New York City and further afield, which came to taste the wines of about 185 producers.

The trade show was held during the day and was followed by a consumer tasting in the evening. From a promotional perspective and getting the proverbial bang for your buck, the evening tasting for consumers was a very sensible arrangement by the organisers, as it maximised the impact of having so many South African producers who are already present during the day, at the evening event. All this, for the price of a few bottles of wine and a late dinner. It is generic marketing at its best and only a pity that it cannot be done more often and in more venues.

Out of the Doolhof selection, it was clear that Doolhof’s Dark Lady Pinotage was a winner. One taster described the wine as the full American breakfast: “Coffee and Mocha on the nose followed by strong berry flavours on the palate, with a hint of smoked bacon on the after taste”. Both the trade and consumers also liked the Cape Roan which received 89 points out of a total 100 points, in Wine Enthusiast magazine.

It is heartening to hear that wine consumption is growing in the USA year on year, but as a South African producer one despairs of the ignorance and indifference to South African wines in the trade. It is quite the norm to see South African wines relegated to the back shelf or bottom shelf in retail outlets. It is also seldom that one sees more than a couple of SA wines on a wine list.

Fortunately there are retail and restaurant outlets that have a decent SA offering. Amongst the retail outlets visited in New York City, Astor Wines at 399 Lafayette Street and Union Square Wine and Spirits on 4th Avenue stand out. Sherry-Lehman, the upmarket wine retailer on Park Avenue that offers “free delivery in the Hamptons” also has a tidy SA list in their catalogue which is mostly filled with pages and pages of French wines and Super Tuscans.

Although it is early days in the American market, Doolhof is fortunate to have been able to team up with the newly established Worthwhile Wines, www.worthwhilewine.com, an importer that will concentrate on South African wines. They will be importing our wines into the USA . Tom Lynch, the founder of Worthwhile Wines and his team, are working diligently to appoint distributors in each of the key markets of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia and Florida. Small volumes of Signatures of Doolhof Cabernet Sauvignon are also imported and distributed in Texas and Washington DC.

Doolhof is excited about its potential for growth in the US market and looks forward to solid growth in this exciting, yet complicated market.