Exports of packaged and bulk wine to the Netherlands were down 500 000 litres last year but WOSA, Wines of SA, the exporters’ mouthpiece, has come up with a cunning cultural plan to reverse the decline. By sponsoring an Afrikaans Kunstefees (arts festival) in Amsterdam in June featuring well known tipplers Breyten Breytenbach, Gert Vlok Nel and Chris Chameleon, WOSA hopes to boost SA wine sales.

Chris Chameleon to front SA wine in Amsterdam

The WOSA initiative opens up the door for other producers: perhaps SA Brandy could sponsor Jack Parow and Mr. Price could send them Die Antwoord, both acts wildly popular in De Pijp. The largest importer of SA wines in the Netherlands knows nothing of the project and is reportedly “perplexed.” But perhaps their press release went the same way as mine with WOSA now carefully cherry-picking recipients of their media largesse. Although sending Edo Heyns from Winelands to the Luanda tasting earlier this month is unlikely to hide the fact that nobody except SA producers, turned up.