New project takes a look at how various SA cultural groups experience wine

What do South Africans think of the wines they drink? Do the opinions and experiences of compatriots from different cultural groups differ on this issue? What makes locals decide to buy a specific bottle of wine? These are among the questions that wine researcher Dr Hélène Nieuwoudt and colleagues at Stellenbosch University (SU) wish to find the answers to, through a newly launched project.

The opinion of wine consumers in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng are among those to be tested by surveys and wine tasting panels. Participants will be asked how they find the taste, smell and appearance of specific wine styles, and also how good they consider the quality to be. This information will be processed to compile so-called sensory profiles which define the specific preferences of people from different segments of the market.

Dr Nieuwoudt hopes to use the insights of focus groups to get a representative picture of the opinions of regular South African wine drinkers. “We want to know what the man in the street thinks about wine, and therefore we need to gather more than just the opinions of expert wine tasters,” she explains.

The three year project will be conducted by Dr Nieuwoudt and other researchers of the Institute for Wine Biotechnology and the Institute for Grape and Wine Sciences at the SU Department of Viticulture and Oenology. It is funded by the South African Department of Science and Technology, following support given to the project by the wine research network Winetech, among others.

Surveys will also be undertaken about usage patterns and the factors which influence wine purchases. In this respect there will be cooperation with Prof Nic Terblanche of the Department of Business Management at Stellenbosch University, and business people from the private sector.

“Information that is collected through the project will help to market South African wines more specifically to compatriots from different groups,” believes Gerard Martin, executive manager of Winetech and also the director of the SU Institute for Grape and Wine Science. “To promote the South African wine industry, it is certainly important that we obtain a clear idea of the preferences and dislikes of especially the developing black middle class markets.”

The project is likely to be expanded at a later stage to test the preferences and perceptions of wine consumers in Namibia and other countries in Africa and Asia, among others.