Pop goes the global boom in wine sales

THE recession has put a cork in wine sales. In fact, sales have plummeted, reports the Cape Town- based Wine-Of-The-Month Club.

Managing director of the country’s biggest direct wine marketer, Tai Collard, said sales in the United Kingdom had also come “to a sharp halt”.

“This is a situation that will not change in the near-term,” said Collard.

“The South African market’s demand for natural wine has essentially shown zero growth for the 12month period that ended in August 2008.

“The UK, it seems, is (also) certainly facing some tough times. Although wine sales in Britain grew by 6% to à 5.6billion (over R60bn) to the year-end in March 2008, growth has now come to a standstill.”

This statistic, said Collard, would be a blow to UK wine retailers who enjoyed strong growth during the past few years as consumers moved from beer to wine. “It is still all about a wine glut – there is still too much wine out there.” — Sapa