Sonntagsspaziergangwinery

You have so much poison in your writing, it makes me feel ill.

dionysus

Hi Neil

Of the 10 blog posts currently on your page 6 or 60% are digs, attacks, pot shots. It is either WOSA, 4 out of the 10, or Top 100 or Michael Fridjhon. Maybe you will write something nice about the Port Festival or maybe the Wine mag MCC Challenge, your a judge so heck it has to be perfect. The glass is always seems to be half empty when your not involved…

Cheers
Dionysus

Neil Pendock

Dion: You comment is totally empty, never mind half empty! Sure I’m “attacking” the WOSA board, Robin von Holdt’s currency conversion and unqualified people dishing out qualifications, but there are no pot shots or digs involved. Your comment on the MCC Challenge and the Port Festival is irrelevant and beneath you.

Sonntagsspaziergangwinery: I fear you don’t understand irony. I’m simply asking the WOSA board to justify the mixed signals they emit. No poison was used or was intended. This blog includes humour.

Hennie @ Batonage

Neil, I agree with Dion. You seem to be a stuck record. Have you read Hunter Gatherer Vintner’s piece on WOSA? Here’s the link – http://huntergatherervintner.b.....-wosa.html

Read the second comment from the Asian gentleman about the perceptions that are created about our wine by high profile commentators such as yourself.

Perhaps its time that you become a friend of South African wine instead of using your platform to denigrate it at every turn?

Neil Pendock

Hennie, you’re behind the times – I’ve already engaged in a debate with Jonathan on the winenews site.

I certainly do not use this blog to denigrate SA wine at every turn and am hurt and amazed that you think I do.

Anthony

I think Hennie and Dionysus should get a grip on themselves.
If they take the time to real Neil’s blog properly they will see that the SA winemaker has no greater friend, and I have never met a winemaker, viticulturalist, marketeer or retailer who have a bad word to say about him.
Hennie and Dionysus fail to distinguish between criticism of the export structures (eg WOSA) and self appointed SA critics who, according to TIm James (M&G June 10th) produce results that are “rubbish and valid”. James in turn quoted Michael Fridjhon who commented that “many of the so called experts are at best inconsistent and at worst simply incompetent”.
As to referring to Huntergatherervintner’s blog Hennie, you have really taked in by what is, in effect, a massive bl*w j*b on WOSA by someone who is desperate to have assistance, any assistance, to get a madcap wine selling idea off the ground.

Anthony

I think people know what I mean by b*ow**b.

Another young winemaker

Dear Neil
I feel you raise a very relevant issue with regard to WOSA. I will raise 2 points that have made me, as a young wine maker trying to make ends meet, query the actual effectiveness of our wine industry mouth piece WOSA. First of all, tasters heading for South America, this is actually what attracted me to this article. I was recently in a conversation with an elderly person, it turned out that their partner was a taster and yes they had, had a trip to South America, and paid for by WOSA… You might call it sour grapes, but I feel very strongly that it’s a waste sending old aged wine tasters on fact finding missions, to very relevant viticultural area’s, holding any benefit to our industry at all, apologies to any elderly reader. Surely it’s a no brainer sending a 30 something wine maker to South America who is practically involved in the industry carrying far more benefit?
Finally I have been involved in exporting wine into Africa a market that holds a great deal of opportunity for South Africa. Many African countries work around a NAFDAC system, which is basically a food and drug control body. They require proof of manufacture, premises, licence of manufacture ect. What a minefield to get the paper work in order and between SAWIS, SARS and The Department of Agriculture no one can give you a straight answer as to what documentation is actual needed and which department needs to issue it. Finally the relevant embassy needs to verify these documents, which is a nightmare in its self. I actually brought this up with Sue Birch if there could be some streamlined system or just a set of points that can be followed by a cellar to get to the right people who know what they are talking about. By doing so, safe time (money) and help sell SA wine to our neighbours. In WOSA’S credit I know they recently had a producers trip into Africa, but that still doesn’t solve the problem when they get back and need to send an order.

hennie @ Batonage

Neil – I can appreciate that your feelings are hurt by MY reality. Sadly it truly is the impression I get when I read your blog. I read it daily and frankly, as Dion rightly pointed out, the majority of your posts are an attack on either WOSA, The Platter, MF or something or other you are not happy with. How about writing something positive for a change? WOSA isn’t all bad. Neither is MF. Neither is the Platter. Yet you choose to focus on the negative at every turn.

I am sorry, but nowhere in any of your RECENT writing do you ever come across as someone who is helping the local industry. You are not putting forward a united front. You might argue its not your job, but if it doesn’t start with a high profile person like yourself, then where is it going to start? Are we going to bicker and ***** until the industry goes down in a spectacular ball of fire or are the people who care actually going to stand up and start being positive about it?

Just a thought.

hennie @ Batonage

@anthony – frankly I am not at all sure what Jonathan’s agenda is, and frankly I don’t give a tiny rat’s ***. Whatever the reality for you, I agree with what he said. The focus is consistently on Andre Morgenthal and Su Birch, yet I don’t see a single wine writer have the balls to take on Mike Ratcliffe or Johann Krige, who (amongst others) both sit on WOSA’s board. Why don’t you Anthony, tell these gentlemen they’re getting it wrong? The reality is that its easy to take on Andre and Su, but you need slightly bigger nuts to take on farm owners. What it comes down to is that people like me (who truly care about the local industry) are tired of the cheap shots being taken at WOSA. We need a united front, and it starts HERE on a Pendock blog, or at a place like grape.co.za – the fact that Dion and I are outspoken about it, doesn’t make us mavericks. THere are MANY others who feel the same way.

Neil Pendock

Hennie, I have become something of a lightning conductor for industry frustration with WOSA. Have a look at this insider comment on Jonathan’s winenews story and let’s debate facts, not emotion:

Angola was attended by 30 producers and only 3 importers made it to the tasting ? WOW

Distell has 18 permanent personal in Angola and was co-sponsor ; the venue was 30 km from center and tasting on Friday afternoon with traffic congestion at its best ! WOW

Initially ONLY 10 producers would attend – cost did not change , instead WOSA wanted to slap producers with more bills than initially quoted – was it because 3 staff members attended the most expensive city in the world ; also , consumption is mistaken for exports to other Asian and African Countries ? WOW

Vinexpo attended by producers on their own budgets (wines arrived on time and air conditioning worked , perfect positioning of stand only to mention a few positives ) – increditable turn out of buyers from Africa , China and Europe (aiming at the sun … ) – platform which is needed – congrats to the organizer ; WOSA at the same time in China but most of the Chinese wine buyers where in Bordeaux . WOW again !!! 1 + 2 = 1

Distell , KWV all board members of WOSA attended Vinexpo (also had WOSA branding on their booth which is questionable in its self ) but categorically refused any participation of WOSA members ; perhaps board should be revised ? As this is non profit ? Its been said in circles that the highest contributor to WOSA should receive same proportion of ip by WOSA ? Not sure if producers contribution to global companies and WOSA not consist as the biggest contribution and therefore should participate in board meetings on equal share basis . WOW

So , if a small budget is spend in the correct manner , it surely goes along way (Vinexpo) , but poor organization and spineless actions has detrimental effects on the whole SA industry in the long term as larger companies will export / import / bottle abroad etc – do as they please and the smaller producers is at the mercy of their actions . WOW

Have some facts on Russia and Korea for later …

the Geko facts on insiders

Anthony

Yes Hennie, why can’t we just all be friends.

Evey news organisation in the world would go out of business if that approach was taken.

Only last week I heard of a wine representative body meeting that broke up in disarray as the attendees could not agree on whether or not wine should be promoted as a beverage to be drunk with food.

United front? A serious dose of reality is more like it.

Jonathan

Anthony
There is no perfect model for a generic marketing organisation representing such diverse interests within a very challenging theatre. Its appropriate that we remind ourselves of this and occasionally check how far things have drifted from centre, or indeed if the centre has shifted.

I have not sold wine for anybody – including myself – for some time know.

There are more coments on my blog and the http://www.wine.co.za/news/new.....ource=News post

Anthony

@Jonathan – “I have not sold wine for anybody – including myself – for some time know”.

Maybe not, but you’d like to……..

Jonathan

@Anthony ja like anything else to do with wine..

Sonntagsspaziergangwinery

Perhaps if people stopped using euphimisms like elderly people, and named the names, then we could get to the facts and ask WOSA what the story was.
I don’t know that insider was inside, as only 2 WOSA staff were in Angola. The number was increased at the request of producers. WOSA management wanted to keep it small.

Anthony

“Perhaps if people stopped using euphimisms like elderly people, and named the names”

Coming from someone who signs off as Sunday go for a stroll winery this is really a bit of a joke.

I’m trying hard not to be a hypocirite here, as I work in the industry for a supplier and I’d get a big slap on the wrist for engaging in such a debate in the first place.

And as I have three kids, 4 dogs and a Mother-in-Law to support I’d rather remain just as Anthony, or even Tony.

Frank du Toir

Well Sonntag

Why don’t you start the ball rolling and tell us who you are? Seems to me, the only person not hiding behind a pseudonym is Pendock and he’s getting a good kicking for that.

Of course he has the right to his opinion and if hennie and dionysus don’t like this blog, don’t read it and spare us all the posturing.