Vinpro chairperson Anton Smuts did not mince his words in a statement by the wine industry body on Wednesday, warning that the country’s wine industry, and wine tourism, were in a state of disaster brought on by the coronavirus lockdown.
Vinpro, which represents about 2,500 South African wine producers, cellars and industry stakeholders, “Since the state of disaster was announced and the whole country put on lockdown, we have negotiated with government to allow the wine industry to complete the 2020 wine harvest and then to allow for exports and domestic trade,” said Basson.
But this needed to be balanced with saving livelihoods. “Our producers are already preparing for the 2021 wine harvest, however with close to 300-million litres of surplus wine still in cellar tanks, we might not have space for the new crop. The situation is dire,” said Basson.
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