Wine Industry

On Saturday 22 June 1833, the first wine, brandy and beer awards were made by the Society. At this occasion, a Madeira-style wine from Groot Drakenstein was awarded the best wine prize, and J.J. Marais was commended for his willingness to subject his wine to public judging. Francis Collison received the prize for the best brandy and for many years afterwards Collison was a well-known name in the brandy industry.

During the 1800s, the Society committed itself to improving quality in the wine industry, and this is the reason why Agri-Expo still supports the judging components of both the Young Wine Show and the Veritas Wine Show, which both take place over a period of a week at Nederberg.

It is great to experience the strong partnership between Agri-Expo and the wine industry through the association with SANW (South African National Wine show society). Consequently, Agri-Expo hosts the National Young Wine Awards presentation every consecutive year.

Agri-Expo co-host the Veritas Awards presentation in conjunction with the SANW in the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

The wine industry forms an integral part of agriculture in the Western Cape, and to honour the mission of the Society, this partnership will be strengthened in the future. The patron of the SANW is nominated by Agri-Expo – at present the president of Agri-Expo also acts as chairman of the SANW.

The society also supports the establishment of the various cultivar work groups to enhance the quality of the different cultivars. This project is managed by the SANW.