Those scouring the comments and missives on the South African wine industry should be bored of hearing about the following, and plead for more effort in thinking-up fresher, more relevant topics than:

1. Bulk Wine

Bulk wine is not bad. It is not going to cause the roof to fall on anybody’s head. Just because South Africa exports a significant amount of wine in bulk does not mean that producers thereof are stupid and impeding the value and image of the local wine industry. Bulk producers are keeping a large segment of the industry afloat, provide employment and sustain rural communities. Sure, we’d all like an industry where there is a world-wide shortage of US$ 200 bottles of South African Cabernet Sauvignon or Chenin Blanc, but this is not the case. Like any producer, those bulk suppliers who put in the marketing effort and build the contacts are doing very well and we would be far smaller industry without them.