Some wine producers are even pleading with foreign buyers to buy more of the local product to see the industry through tough times.
“Everything just stopped. Our customers are locals. People would come sit in the garden, order a cheese board and have a glass of wine. We had good brand loyalty and people supported us. But no one saw the ban coming again, so nobody stocked up,” she said. “Wine is an agricultural product that contains alcohol. Not an alcoholic beverage that contains some agriculture. A glass of wine sold in a regulated space like a restaurant can’t be compared to a taxi loaded to 100 percent capacity,” said SAAI chief executive Francois Rossouw, comparing the ban to other lockdown regulations.
Wine is a blessing and burden, particularly in the Western Cape. It is a major contributor to the economy but is stained by the legacy of the dop system — alcohol abuse.