Creating a sustainable wine future: CapeWine 2018 opening seminar speakers announced

19 Mar 2018

South African wine producers are readying themselves for CapeWine 2018 taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 12 - 14 September, under the theme \Hannuwa - encapsulating the philosophy of the South African wine industry as a pledge to farming sustainably and be a custodian of the land and preserve it for future generations.

distel2610 via pixabay

By nurturing a culture of respect among the people who work with us on our farms and in our cellars, we endeavour to promote an environment of dignity, equality and upliftment for all whilst protecting the unique and valuable biodiversity of our Winelands and safeguarding the rich heritage of our industry.

Speakers for the opening seminar, titled Creating a Sustainable Future, further contribute to this theme, each bringing their own story and angle to raise awareness of where we are heading as an industry, without losing sight of where we have come from.

Speakers at CapeWine 2018 include:

Rick Tigner

Tigner is president and chief executive officer of Jackson Family Wines, the family-owned collection of vineyards and wineries around the world founded by Jess Jackson in 1982. Tigner joined Jackson Family Wines in 1991 and has served in a variety of sales and distribution leadership roles during his tenure with the company. Tigner is responsible for leading and building all aspects of the global operations of the business, which is guided by the Jackson family’s philosophy of producing high-quality wines from top vineyard sites, with practices rooted in environmental and social responsibility.

Tigner serves on the Board of Directors of the Wine Institute, the advocacy group for the California wine industry and Vinexpo, one of the wine industry’s most respected global trade organisations, as well as the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.

Tigner will discuss the company’s global strategy and investments in South Africa with Capensis and the Fijnbosch Vineyard in the Stellenbosch region and highlight the family’s commitment to sustainable winegrowing and business practices globally.

Charles Back

With a long list of awards and prizes, local philanthropist, ethical trade champion and owner of Fairview and Spice Route wineries, Back won the 1659 Wine Industry Medal of honour in 2017, the IWC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and was voted the second most influential person in the South African wine industry by Wine Magazine in 1996.

Raymond Ndlovu

Ndlovu is co-founder and owner of artisanal premium wine production and marketing business, Black Elephant Vintners – his surname, Ndlovu, making up the ‘Elephant’ part of the name. He serves on the boards of several community service organisations and is a trustee of the Cape Wine Auction, all the while fulfilling his role as Investment Executive at JSE-listed diversified investment holding company, Remgro Limited.

Carina Gous

Wines of South Africa’s current non-executive chairperson, Gous was, until recently, the global marketing brand director: luxury wines and spirits for the Distell Group, South Africa, where she was also actively involved in promoting ethical trade accreditation for Distell's wine brands and in encouraging the wineries in her portfolio to pursue environmentally sustainable programmes.

John Lucas

Before Lucas took over the reigns as the managing director for DHL Express South Africa, he worked in a number of European countries in various roles for the company. South Africa is the 18th country that Lucas has worked in since joining DHL Express 33 years ago but it is not his first African experience, with Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda and Ivory Coast all part of his exciting journey.

In addition to the opening seminar, there will be four hour-long seminars taking place over the duration of the three-day programme as well as the Amorim Cork sponsored ‘Speakers’ Corner’ and a separate themed tasting area. More information on the themes and speakers will be shared on the CapeWine 2018 website (www.capewine2018.com) and on social media platforms in due course.

WoSA welcomes all wine trade and media from across the globe to join us at this prestigious showing of South African wines from over 350 producers. Registration to attend the event is open and can be done by visiting our website and following the ‘Visitor Registration’ link at the top right of the page.

To keep up to date with all things CapeWine 2018, please follow us on social media: