South African Airways has presented DGB with the SAA Chief Executive’s
Award for Best Performance in 2014 and the SAA Chairperson’s Wine Award for
most cases purchased, at the 29th
annual SAA Wine Awards. The national carrier will serve
seven DGB wines on its
domestic, regional and international flights, as well as in its business
class lounges in
2014.
Prestigious and well loved brands which are part of
the DGB family include Bellingham, Boschendal, Brampton, Douglas Green,
Franschhoek Cellar, Ribshack and The Beachhouse.
The
DGB wines to be served in Premium Class are
Bellingham’s The Bernard Series
Chenin Blanc 2012 and The Bernard Series
Pinotage 2011, as well as the Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay 2012 and the Boschendal 1685 Merlot 2012.
While the Franschhoek Cellar Merlot 2013, Douglas Green Sauvignon Blanc
2013 and Douglas Green Chardonnay 2013 will be served in Economy Class.
The annual wine competition attracted over
1 000 entries, which were assessed blind by an international panel of
expert judges. “The SAA Award is a prestigious honour and we are
especially delighted that limited edition wines like our Bernard Series will be
introduced to wine lovers traveling on our national carrier,” said Tim
Hutchinson, CEO of DGB.
“The award caps an incredible year in which
Boschendal Wines was named number 1 premium South African brand in the UK
market and The Beachhouse Sauvignon Blanc became the largest selling South
African wine in the USA.”
Not content with the Nielsen studies confirming
the success on both sides of the Atlantic, DGB has also set its sights on Asia.
"We have identified Hong Kong as
our gateway to the Asian wine drinking market,” said Hutchinson. “We have done
the research, made the contacts and appointed talented and experienced staff in
both Beijing and Hong Kong to assist with this push into China and the rest of
Far East."
Notable accolades for DGB wines in 2013
include the Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut 2009 being named South Africa’s best
at the prestigious Amorim Tsogo Sun Cap Classique Challenge 2013, while the
2007 vintage was awarded Gold and named among the Top 10 at Effervescents du Monde 2013 – the
annual competition in Burgundy, France to find the Best Sparkling Wines in the
World.
DGB wines also excelled at Veritas 2013
with Double Gold medals for the Brampton Sauvignon 2013 and the Boschendal
Unwooded Chardonnay 2013. While the Franschhoek Statue de Femme
Sauvignon Blanc 2013 excelled at the FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc Competition,
with the 2012 vintage awarded Gold at the Concours
Mondial de Bruxelles and named Best SA wine at the Japan Wine Challenge.
These awards and sales figures are reasons to
celebrate an extremely successful 2013, but Hutchinson is equally proud of
DGB’s ongoing green initiatives which have seen the company shining at the Drinks
Business International Awards. Their extensive project aimed at reducing the
weight of glass bottles sees DGB lightweight 10 million bottles per year for a
30% reduction in carbon emissions - a saving of 120kg of carbon for every 1 000
bottles.
While their Bamboo Project, which won the Ethical
Award category at the 2012 Drinks Business Green Awards, not only off-sets
carbon emissions but also creates an effective source of renewable energy and
job opportunities for previously disadvantaged communities.
DGB also has a new world class electronic bottling
line in Wellington – able to fill, label and top with a cork or screw-top, 8
000 bottles an hour. “This new bottling facility gives us probably the most
modern production facility in the Cape wine industry, and we look forward to
doubling our volumes in the next 4-5 years,” said Hutchinson.