Inaugural FM Wine Business Award winners

Young achiever, Champagne importer: Champagne imported Inke Gouws

Awards convenors John Woodward (of Frogitt & Vonkel Private Wine Merchants and founder of the Jo'burg Wine Show) and Delarey Brugman (philanthropist, entrepreneur, wine industry investor and owner of Alluvia Wine Estate) were unanimous that the awards definitely met their initial goal.

"The rationale behind the awards was to shift the industry's focus away from the content in the bottle and instead concentrate on the contributions of those role players throughout the value chain. We felt that is was important to acknowledge the unsung heroes of the industry," said Woodward.

A panel of independent international and local industry experts in finance, retail, marketing and advertising, brand building, packaging and design as well as logistics and distribution reviewed the entries in fifteen different categories.

The winners:

• Personality: Bruce Jack of Flagstone and Constellation was named Personality of the Year in recognition of his dynamic and vocal impact on changing the traditional face of the wine industry through his corporate deal with Constellation. Jack has caused quite a stir in the industry, first with his innovative virtual winery approach at Flagstone and then for the remarkable deal he brokered with global wine powerhouse Constellation, which included selling Flagstone to the corporate giant and agreeing to head up Kumala.

• Achiever: Champagne importer Inke Gouws was crowned Young Achiever for her contribution to the growth of the niche champagnes in the country, while CEO of the Stellenbosch American Express Wine Route Annareth Jacobs was voted as the Brand Manager of the Year in acknowledgement of her vibrant approach in establishing widespread exposure for her brand.

• Best campaigns: In the marketing category, agency Jack Russell Design made quite an impression walking off with both Best Trade Campaign and Best Consumer Campaign awards for Lourensford and Avondale respectively. In the Design & Packaging category, Lourensford Honey Liqueur continued raking in the design accolades for its sophistication through simplicity that clearly denote the essence of content, while providing differentiation in the category.

• Best launch: The award for the Best Launch went to the company of wine people for the launch of their Welmoed 4-pack. The judges found that this made good strides into difficult, but key markets. The clear and tangible impact that this launch delivered with an immediate 63% increase in sales clinched the award for them. Small Wellington producer Stormhoek was awarded the category win for Best Low Budget campaign as judges perceived this innovative campaign to be a great return on investment by eclipsing the exposure of brands with much larger marketing budgets.

• Business awards: Kleine Zalze cleaned up in the Business Awards division by receiving the nod from the judges for both the Wine Company of the Year and Export Star categories for their aggressive growth figures. In terms of logistics, the award went to Vineyard Connection, while retail giant Makro was selected as Retailer of the Year and Winesense received the Independent Retailer award.

• Sustainable BEE deal: The Winery of Good Hope achieved the honours for the Sustainable BEE Deal of the Year for their Good Hope's Land of Hope Trust initiative, which impressed the judges with its significant empowerment construction. The trust was structured around sustainability that started with previously disadvantaged people in the vineyards, but is set to have a widespread impact on these families for generations to come.

According to convener Delarey Brugman, the successful completion of the inaugural awards should set the benchmark for the young and ambitious in the industry: "Our industry, as unfortunately fragmented as it is, has special performers. The industry leaders of our country's most powerful ambassador - our wines - are aptly rewarded through these awards. Each local wine business unit is competing for palate space abroad against countries that enjoy EU and local subsidies for wine. I consider it a privilege to recognise these prestigious achievements, which would hopefully inspire the creative minds within our world of wine and effect the betterment of the industry."

Brugman further explains that the calibre of judges and broader industry response underlined the need for this competition: "Not only have global leaders in their respective industries committed their time to the adjudication of these awards, but partnerships such as the one we have with Financial Mail are paramount."

For the final results, visit www.winebusinessawards.co.za