Wine is not just a bottle; it’s an entire value chain built on people’s passion, skills, and collaboration. It is where adaptability and human-centred thinking ensure resilience, quality, and lasting cultural relevance, stakeholders said at the recent Gastrotour project workshop in Stellenbosch.
The Gastrotour project is aimed at developing and implementing innovative digital educational solutions and tools to promote and stimulate the transformation of regional wine cuisine tourism industries, contributing to sustainable economic and social development.
Delivering his keynote address, Peter Pentz, communications manager at Groote Post Vineyards, highlighted turning threats into opportunities and thinking outside the box in wine tourism.
Beyond the bottle
Pentz told delegates that for their businesses to flourish, they needed to embody three characteristics: being naive, taking risks and just doing it.
“The South African wine industry has become more challenging than ever; now more than ever, as wine producers we need to rethink what we need to do when it comes to wine making and tourism.
“What is important is that on the thousands of wine bottles that we produce, the real story is that as a wine producer, those bottles need to leave the farm. That on its own is a story, that is where thinking outside the box comes into play.”
Pentz said threats that occur in the wine industry are also opportunities that need you to move from your comfort zone and be challenged on your own thoughts and ideas.
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“In this industry of wine making and wine tourism, there are so many similarities. Every wine farm has a restaurant and wine tasting, so the question is how do you become different from the rest and how do you get that competitive edge.
“Quite frankly, there is no one size fits all, which means as a wine farm or producer, you need to create your own type of music and sing to it. So our agribusiness needs to change, and we need to challenge ourselves.”
Pentz noted that while trends have shown that people are now drinking less and the financial pressure on producers is increasing, opportunities should be seized amid threats and the unknown.
The executive manager of the South African Wine Industry Professional Body (SAWIPB), Kachne Ross, said while the industry is flourishing, it is equally important to ensure that those who work the land are also developed and empowered to make a meaningful impact in their lives.
Investing in skills development and job creation
“Skills development is very key in the wine industry. It is our work to ensure that we professionalise every role in the sector and from our research and data collection, we have come across 120 career paths in the sector.
“We are also looking at future jobs that might be needed and in that regard we are looking at meaningful opportunities and people people-centred approach for our farms. There is potential, we just need to tap into it,” she said.
Ross emphasised that with an industry that employs over 270 000 people, there is a crucial need to think digital, but also to think sustainability.
South Africa Wine chief executive officer, Rico Basson, said the industry’s growth needs all stakeholders to join hands and make it work. He urged delegates to learn about the history of wine-making in South Africa and visit wine farms.
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