| In a Release, a hitherto unknown wine importer Kristal Spirits India (KSIPL), has announced today a marketing and distribution tie-up with the South African wine major. According to the release, these KWV wines will be available in India by December-end. "As part of this association, Kristal Spirits would launch KWV Classic and KWV Sparkling in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata by the end of December 2013," KSIPL- says the release, according to ET.
KSIPL has declared its plans to sell 30,000 cases of KVW wine within the first 3 years of the brand's launch. This is perhaps more than 3-4 times the number of South African wines being imported currently; the announced target, if achieved, would be a commendable performance and highly creditable. The importers are hopeful because they say, ‘with changing tastes, the wine market in India is growing at 13 percent annually, faster than that of any other alcoholic beverage.’ They are thus counting on this growth and the aggressive strategy for the stellar performance.
The report also implies that the Delhi-based company is primarily a spirits-based company. “Through our association with KWV Wines, we aim to bring in a whole new exotic experience for India’s growing appetite for everything global,” Kristal Spirits Managing Director, Arun Aditya, reportedly said. KWV Wines APAC Director Esmari Kift said: “We are delighted to partner with Kristal Spirits and bring KWV Wines to India, which is one of the finest to come out of our vineyards.” No details have been given on the labels.
KWV is one of the leading wine and spirits producers in South Africa - it was founded as a winemaking co-operative in January 1918 by wine makers from the Western Cape. The name “Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika” is Afrikaans for "Co-operative Winemakers' Society of South Africa", but after apartheid was over in 1990, it became an independent winery and today it represents a well-known global wine and spirits brand producing a large portfolio of products.
Global Tax Free Traders has been the known importer of KWV for several years. The management did not respond to phone calls but the excise records still show Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as the two wines registered by Global - and the only KWV wines as on date.
It would also be miraculous for the two parties signing the deal and getting the registration done in such a short time-unless the process had been initiated and the registration process completed.
Subhash Arora
While we wish the importer and the producer good luck in achieving what seems to be a very difficult and ambitious target, one cannot underestimate anyone’s marketing capability or reach. On hopes they are serious and capable and this is not the usual marketing hype; such reports are harmful when they display false optimism just to get a marketing advantage in the short term. We shall keep a watch on this development and inform our views periodically- editor
Tags: KWV, Kristal Spirits India, South African wines |