Marcus Ford is a wine expert and businessman living in China（Shanghai）for years, who was appointed as WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA (WOSA) Asia Market Manager in Autumn 2018. Here is the interview to him from Fine Wine And Liquor magazine.
Fine Wine And Liquor: If you use one word or a sentence to describe South African Wines, what is it?
Marcus Ford: "Specatular" wines of great personality and energy in South Africa.
The country has a varied terroir, with mountain ranges and two oceans creating a unique environment to make wine, stylistically somewhere between the old and new world.
Fine Wine And Liquor: How is the data of quantity that South African wines export to mainland China?
Marcus Ford: Looking at South Africa’s performance over recent years, we are encouraged by the growth in China. We have seen some good growth in exports over the past five years and one can clearly see the change in momentum from 2013 onwards when WOSA started focusing more funds into promotion in the region. In 2014 we placed a dedicated Market Manager in Asia to drive promotional activity. However, South Africa is still a minor player with a market share of approximately 2% in volume terms so there is still a huge amount of potential for us to grow.
Fine Wine And Liquor: When many Chinese think of South Africa, they think of beautiful scenery and peculiar animals, and they might think of insecurity. What do you want to say to those who want to travel to South Africa （especially for a wine journey）but be afraid of being unsafe?
Marcus Ford: South Africa attracts millions of visitors annually, with the Western Cape a popular destination. Table Mountain ranks as the second most popular single destination behind the Kruger Park, according to departing visitors.
Tourism is one of the fastest-growing areas of the South African economy. With its unique Cape Dutch heritage and over 350-year-old winemaking history, the Cape and its vineyards have much to offer. The Cape winelands are considered some of the most scenically spectacular in the world. As with any developing economy we have challenges but there are infrastructural and security measure in place to ensure a safe and secure environment for all our visitors.
Fine Wine And Liquor: What is the China Market plan of South African Wines in 2019?
Marcus Ford: 2019 is particularly exciting for WOSA. South Africa will celebrate its 360 years of winemaking history and 25 years of democracy. We are planning a range of activities including bringing in Chef Chantel Dartnall, voted the Best Lady Chef of the World 2017, to Hong Kong. The triennial Sommelier Cup will also return next year.
Published in ISSUE 104 on Fine Wine and Liquor
Fine Wine and Liquor
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