02 June 2006
	SIDELINES FEEL FOR FINE WINE

A company established to sell wine in the world's first Braille wine bottles is ramping up its production to meet orders of about R6m. The company, Worcester Winelands, was launched eight months ago and is now hoping to produce bottles of 2006 sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and a 2005 shiraz for markets in Canada, Africa, Europe and the UK. The idea behind the Braille bottles was an ambitious plan to rebrand Worcester and put it on the map. "Our town is home to the institutes for the blind and the deaf, so Worcester is geared to the needs of this community," explains Worcester Winelands manager Bridget Zietkowitz. "It made sense to do something that would support the institutes while showcasing Worcester wine." Fifty cents from each bottle sold is donated to the institutes. So far about R700 000 has been raised. On each label, in Braille, is the wine cultivar and vintage, such as shiraz 2005. On the bottle the Braille lettering reads: "100% Worcester, South Africa." The bottles are produced by Consol Glass, which partnered Worcester Winelands and put about R500 000 into developing a new production line. Worcester is not known for premium bottled wines. Typically, its wines are produced in big industrial cellars and less than 1% is bottled. This is likely to change . "We are becoming more market-driven and less product-driven," says Zietkowitz. "But this is a town steeped in truth and integrity and we didn't want to lose that."