He had come across Cape brandies before his appearance at Michelangelo, where he was once again reminded of the irrefutable quality of this local category. “Thing is, every wine-producing country makes a distillation with ‘brandy’ on the label,” he says. “And most of it is not made for the discerning consumer and not distilled and aged with the attention one finds in Cognac and some South African pot-still brandies.
“So what you have, is the consumer associating brandy with a palatable yet unrefined spirit without any provenance or identity. Anyone who wants quality and refinement in a premium product, goes to Cognac or Armagnac. And that is the biggest challenge for South Africa’s brandies: creating awareness that despite the ubiquitous name of ‘brandy’ on the label, your products are a cut above what consumers usually associate brandy with.”
One only needs to look at what the Scottish did with whisky to find inspiration. “The marketers created a narrative around small whisky distilleries beneath snow-capped mountain peaks next to crystal clear streams,” he says. “This association trickles throughout the marketing chain, and with your brandies in South Africa you definitely have the opportunity to tell these stories and to create a sense of place for the products. They deserve it, as some – not all, but some – of the brandies tasted definitely deserve recognition at the top-end of the quality spectrum.”
Schäfer says that he would like to see improved wood management as this would further the complexity and nuances in the brandies tasted. “And don’t overdo the packaging,” he says. “South African brandy is not Scotch whisky or Cognac. Go for an own identity reflecting the narrative of the specific brandy inside the bottle.”
A seasoned and well-known writer on all spirits, Schäfer also lectures at various academic and hospitality institutions on spirits as well as belonging to a diverse number of spirits associations. He could be the European ambassador South African brandy needs, as the product is there but the voice apparently has to follow if it were ever to make a dent in the international market-place.
Winning international awards far and wide is one thing, but acceptance from the consumer is what counts.