Audacia launches Honeybush-wooded wine

Cape Town - A Western Cape wine label has launched a red wine wooded with honeybush on Tuesday.

The Audacia Natural Red is a low-kilojoule, low alcohol wine, wooded with Honeybush chips.
 
Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, said at the launch that the method was uniquely South African.

“We have a reputation as one of the world’s highest quality wine producers. Since 1994, South African wine exports have grown from 50 million litres to 500 million litres," said Winde.
 
“South Africa is constantly breaking new ground in wine innovation. We are the only country to produce the Pinotage cultivar and we are one of a few countries to have launched a traceability seal which guarantees the ethical production of our wine. Pioneering new products, such as Audacia’s Honeybush and Rooibos-wooded wines, are more examples of how we are setting ourselves apart on the global market.”
 
Winde added that the wine industry was an important job creator, employing over 289 000 people in the country and 167 000 residents in the Western Cape.

Trevor Strydom, managing director and partner at Audacia, said the wine was in line with global trends, where consumers have become more health conscious.
 
“Having been made with our own indigenous Honeybush wood chips, it’s also a uniquely South African product with a unique value proposition. There is no denying this wine is a healthier option for kilojoule conscious wine drinkers. For all these reasons, we believe it’s going to perform exceptionally well on the global wine stage,” said Strydom.

Strydom said he was in the process of sharing the technology used in the process with other local winemakers.