South African Airways (SAA) hosts the 24th Annual Wine Selection

Raise a glass to the South African national carrier as it hosts the 24th Annual Wine Selection where local and international wine connoisseurs have been tasked to taste and savour the flavours of a wide variety of local wines. This year, the panel of twelve local and international judges will select from about 1 000 different wines entered from the best wineries in South Africa.

This vigorous annual selection process is a much anticipated event on the calendar of the local wine industry, and is intended to ensure that SAA’s valued customers get to enjoy the finest South African wines on board.

“We have always found that the number of wine makers eager to participate in our selection process grows steadily every year, which is an indication of the value wine makers place on having their wines selected to be served to our customers.
“South African wines are equal to the best the world offers and we are very pleased with the number and quality of entries we received this year. Whether you are a wine drinker, or a wine maker, you are promised excellent wines when flying with SAA,” says Kim Thipe, SAA Head of Marketing.

This annual selection process is SAA’s own way of contributing to the growth of this all important South Africa industry. It gives local producers the opportunity of a life time – to have their wines served to the millions of people who fly with SAA. The selection process, which ran over 3 days at the Nederburg wine estate in the Western Cape, also gives local wine producers valuable feedback on the quality of their produce.
“What we look for in the wines we serve on board our aircraft are the best South African wines with a balanced flavour intensity to shine even at 30,000 feet,” says Bongi Sodladla, SAA’s Global Food and Beverage Manager and Sommelier.

Award categories are for the Best Methode Cap Classique; the Best Port; the Best White Wine Trophy and the Best Red Wine Trophy. Wineries will also vie for the prestige of winning the SAA Chairperson’s Award for the Largest Volume and the SAA Chief Executive Award for Best Performance 2011. Winners will be announced at an illustrious gala award evening on 6 November in the Western Cape.

www.flysaa.com

This article was originally posted on South Africa Business Communities