Letter to the editor: Think SA wine has peaked? Think again
By Christian Eedes, 7 November 2025
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The following received via email from Daniel Grigg, managing director of UK specialist merchant Museum Wines:
South Africa. A country that will celebrate the 367th birthday of its wine industry on 2 February 2026. Grapes grown in the Cape winelands were being fermented to produce wine 117 years before the United States of America was founded. And yet, in my opinion, South Africa is still at the beginning of its exciting journey and presents one of the most promising propositions for commercial success and growth in the international market.
Broadly speaking, fellow New World countries have commercially pigeonholed themselves into a few signature wines despite not being bound by Denomination of Origin regulations like their Old World peers. California does Cabernet, Australia does Shiraz, New Zealand does Sauvignon Blanc, Argentina does Malbec, and so on. There are exceptions, of course, but it’s the rules that people remember.
The same may once have been true for South Africa. When I started my wine journey as an enthusiastic consumer in my late teens, some twenty years ago, I found both reds and whites rather homogenous. Even when I began working in the industry in my early twenties, what I encountered were Chenin Blancs with little character, Chardonnays with too much oak, and smoky reds that all tasted alike, whether single varietals or blends.
The diversity of styles now being produced in South Africa is surely becoming its calling card. Characterful, serious Chenin Blancs offer tremendous bang for your buck (or rumpus for your rand) and are seducing lapsed Burgundy drinkers in the UK market who can’t – or understandably don’t want to – pay twice or thrice as much for Mâcon-Villages. Vineyards in Stellenbosch can produce ethereal, beguiling Cinsault from old vines as well as serious Cabernets and Bordeaux blends. Plantings of Palomino and Colombard, once destined for bulk brandy, are now being repurposed to make exciting and distinctive white wines.
Then, of course, there’s the renaissance of Pinotage which, a century after its conception, is being championed in a variety of styles – from Beaujolais-esque, brightly fruited expressions with minimal oak to richer, more opulent iterations that confidently hold their own alongside illustrious names from France, Italy, and Spain.
One area of enormous potential lies in one of South Africa’s most established styles: Cap Classique. The brand with the highest sparkling wine sales in the UK remains Moët & Chandon, despite prices that bear little relation to what’s in the bottle. Champagne continues to enjoy an almost unchallenged monopoly on traditional-method sparkling wine.
While there are some excellent examples from England, they’ll always be roughly the same price as Champagne, given land, labour, and yield constraints. Cava’s reputation is tarnished (possibly beyond repair) by cheap supermarket versions; no one knows what Franciacorta is; and I’ve yet to taste anything noteworthy from New Zealand or Argentina. Australia and the US suffer the same issue as England – the best are expensive. After fifteen years in wine retail, I can tell you it’s hard to sell something if it costs the same as what customers already know they want.
This is where South Africa can excel – offering high-quality sparkling wines aged 36–48 months on lees, two or three times longer than many entry-level Champagnes, yet selling for less than half the price of a Grand Marque. “Take two bottles and some change, sir.” Offer quality and quantity, and the wine-drinking public will gleefully take up the offer.
Another near-monopoly the French have enjoyed is Provence rosé. When I started visiting South Africa a decade ago, it was as if winemakers had taken the rulebook and used it as kindling on the braai – dark red or fluorescent wines with high alcohol levels that were impossible to sell, even if they did make for a raucous lunch or two.
A short time later, the Cape was producing serious rosé in an alluring onion-skin hue. Commercially viable, certainly, though often pitched without the strong value-for-money proposition of Cap Classique. Increasingly, I see such wines with an FOB of £9 – 12 (almost double what I can buy Saint-Victoire Côtes de Provence for), putting them on UK shelves at around £30 – well above celebrity-backed French counterparts. One has to ask: why price them 50% higher than a Cap Classique with so much more time invested in production?
South Africa is poised to become the hot topic of the wine world, a status it richly deserves. But I’d urge caution: producers must avoid pricing themselves out too soon. There are incredible wines capable of enormous success under £30 a bottle, delivering far more pleasure than almost anything else at that price.
The temptation to raise prices too quickly risks sudden promotion to the big leagues – competing with the established old guard of Bordeaux, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Barolo, and Brunello once you hit £40–50 on the shelf.
I have every confidence South Africa’s best wines will earn their place there – and still offer better value than most Old or New World peers – but producers must be mindful of the current climate. Going in hard at a high price because you think the wine is lekker and fancy a payday won’t inspire buyers to take the plunge.
While consumers can still find outstanding Barolo and Bordeaux from 2016 – names like Château Langoa-Barton and G.D. Vajra – at under £50 (including duty and VAT), you need to give them a reason to choose your wine, which they’ve probably never heard of, instead.
At a time when buyers are spoilt for choice and cherry-picking only the best, it’s wiser to invest in your own stock, build a market through scarcity at a modest price, and raise prices gradually with demand.
We’ve waited almost 367 years for a seat at the table – put down the 15% rosé, stay the course, and make sure you’re still there for the brandy at the end of the night.
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Opinion & Analysis
Editorial: Thinking about SA wine’s next decade
5 January 2026
Happy New Year. In 2036, ten years from now, I will turn 65. By then, I hope to be stepping aside rather than stepping down, less bound by day-to-day obligations,...
Greg Sherwood | 7 November 2025
Pricing SA’s best wines is often quoted by producers as being an almost impossible affair. Price too low and connoisseurs say we are under selling ourselves. Price to punchy and trade and merchants say we are pricing ourselves out of the market and leaving ourselves open to comparisons with more established old world brands with greater equity and pull with consumers, especially in an on-trade restaurant environment. But once again, I would hold up producers like Duncan Savage and Peter-Allan Finlayson at Crystallum as safe examples of wineries using the conservative ‘slow and steady’ pricing approach… which has worked amazingly well for both brands globally. More should look to them as prime examples to follow when it comes to international pricing strategies.
Stuart Tapson | 8 November 2025
This is such an encouraging yet considered letter
Geoff VICKERSTAFF | 8 November 2025
Travelling quite a bit and being avid wine drinkers, we always find that SA wines are often not on the menu, yet NZ wines, especially from their famous ( and extremely good) Marlborough estate, are on just about every wine list – WHY? Do we have too many vineyards perhaps all selling their own brands, so that they can only produce small or modest quantities and thus make them unattractive for the resellers?
Hendrik Louw | 8 November 2025
What a beautiful and honest letter. Most encouraging. Yes, SA wine producers, you make us proud to be South African.
Andrew Woolgar | 8 November 2025
Daniel. Thank you for this very interesting and informed read.
As an importer and distributor based in North Carolina, and with a 100% focus on South African wines I could not agree more with your sentiments when it comes to quality vs price vs brand recognition vs competition. It is a fine line we navigate and in order to compete in the world of fine wine we must know our place in the market.
Without doubt a ton of SA fine wines punch well above their weight in quality on the world stage but it’s vital that producers don’t over-price based on perception. Better that they listen to the likes of us at the frontline who have to get the wines into the market in order to bring more in. Being in the US too, we have been dealt with a totally unwarranted 30% tariff which challenges us to be even more creative on margins and product diversity if we are to keep the lights on.
Increased shipping rates don’t help either… I have been preaching this to the choir for a few years now. With all of that said I am fortunate to work with amazing producers and a great sales team who take pride in representing some of the Worlds best wines.
Richard Lukins of Portman Vintners | 8 November 2025
Christian, it’s great to see you publish Daniel Grigg’s letter—long overdue, and a welcome spotlight on the pricing conundrum that so often goes unspoken. Greg Sherwood’s contribution, along with the other thoughtful responses, adds valuable depth to a conversation the industry sorely needs.
As a UK-based importer of South African wine, I’m deeply invested in the region’s success. The quality coming out of the Cape is better than ever, and the future is bright. But while consumers certainly need more education about what South Africa offers, producers too must engage with the commercial realities of the markets they’re targeting—especially when it comes to pricing.
Differentiation is hard-earned. For most consumers, the first encounter with a wine is in the glass—not in the story. Soils, winds, family legacies, and hardship may enrich the narrative over time, but the initial hurdle is simple: does the wine deliver exceptional enjoyment and value? If not, the drinker reverts to the familiar.
Building a brand in the UK takes years of consistency, value, and engagement. Several South African producers have done this brilliantly—overdelivering on quality at price points that resonate with consumers. But the elasticity of retail pricing is fragile. If those brands could raise prices by 10% without losing volume, they would. Most can’t.
South Africa’s strength lies in its diversity. From benchmark international cultivars to distinctive expressions of Chenin Blanc, Cinsault, and Pinotage, the country offers a compelling basket of wines. As Daniel noted, the spirit of experimentation and year-on-year improvement is palpable. But while the producers advancements in the vineyards are thriving, marketing and market intelligence often lag in the distance behind.
Too many producers still approach pricing with a cost-plus mindset, rather than a market-led strategy. That approach won’t launch fireworks—it risks a dull fizz and a warehouse full of unsold stock. Pricing must reflect positioning, not just production cost. Know your target consumer. Set realistic goals. Build a plan. The hard work starts when the bottled wine gets loaded into a container!
All too often, I hear “we want to be in the UK market” as the answer to “what’s your strategic objective?” That’s not a strategy—it’s a wish. The UK is a mature, highly competitive market, currently grappling with a cost-of-living crisis and rising alcohol duties. It offers opportunity, yes—but only to those who understand its dynamics and are commit for the long haul.
Success here requires more than a listing. It demands a long-term plan, market-aligned pricing, and active engagement across the value chain. It’s not for the faint-hearted—or for those seeking a passive, arm’s-length relationship. For most new producers, the path forward is clear: enter at sensible price points, with enough volume to make the economics work, and build from there.
Of course, there are exceptions as Greg alluded to —wines that command high prices and cult followings. But these didn’t appear overnight. They were built over years through smart marketing, critical acclaim, and relentless brand building. Their success should inspire, not mislead. It’s possible—but it takes work, patience, and a bit of luck.
Ultimately, the formula is simple: overdeliver on quality and value. If the wine in the glass consistently outshines the drinker’s usual choice, you’ve got a chance to change habits. But like winemaking itself, this takes time.
The good news? South African wine hasn’t peaked. With 300 years of heritage, a renewed focus on old vines, and forward-thinking practices like regenerative farming, the future is full of promise. Let’s make sure the world sees it—and tastes it.