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Cape Town - The process of supplying South African wine to the world controlling body for soccer, Fifa, during the upcoming Confederations Cup soccer tournament has left a bad taste in the mouths of many local wine producers.
One bone of contention is the appointment of the wine industry's executive body, Wines of South Africa (Wosa), as the institution overseeing the provision of wine at Fifa's dinners and places of accommodation.
Wosa is seeking, at short notice, 948 cases, each with six bottles of red wine priced between R40 and R70/bottle, as well as 1 137 cases of white wine ranging from R35 to R60/bottle.
The point of criticism is that Wosa accepted the role of facilitator while it was not part of its mandate as generic marketing body for South African wines offshore.
Wine industry experts say that it reveals a hiatus in the wine industry's structures after the umbrella wine council was dissolved last year.
There is also some criticism that wine producers had less than a week to participate in the tendering process.
What especially peeved the wine experts is the fact that the standards of the well-known Platter Wine Guide was used as reference, and that only wines receiving a three-and-a-half-star rating in Platter could were eligible to supply wine.
On his internet blog wine expert Neil Pendock says this requirement excludes many South African wines and that the Veritas awards would have been a better yardstick.
Veritas is regarded as the true South African wine tasters' standard and it would have been more representative of South African wines for the Fifa guests.
Wosa chief executive Su Birch says in response to the criticism that the organisation needed a basic quality standard and that Platter is generally accepted in this respect.
If a producer should come with a special request to have his wine included and he can convince Wosa of the quality of his wine, inclusion will be considered, she declares.
Pendock reckons however that R600 000 worth of wine sales is at stake, as well as the reputation of South African wines among Fifa's guests.
He believes that whoever advised Fifa has done a disservice to both the industry and the guests.
- Sake24.com
For more business news in Afrikaans, go to Sake24.com.