Neil Pendock interviews undertheinfluence.co.za about new First Growths

The five first growths of Bordeaux are the ne plus ultra of wine. Can SA realistically compete with icons with centuries of tradition?

We chose the name First Growths to play with the notion of older being better and more expensive. The world economy has left some of the über wine brands standing like the emperor with no clothes. We went on a big drive earlier this year to discover smaller estates, with incredible wines at the right price, and bring them to our community at undertheinfluence.co.za. I believe we can absolutely compete with these icons, as we continue to grow our understanding of our land and climate and produce wines that reflect these, rather than a certain style. We are entering into a very exciting phase in South African wine.

How are sales holding up at the top end of SA wine in the current recession?

We noticed a dip at the beginning of the year, which was a wake-up call for many retailers and producers. Since we have created offers like the First Growths, this trend has reversed. People still drink wine and they don’t want to drink worse wine, so what better way than to find smaller boutique estates with exceptional wines, where you don’t pay for the brand on the label?

How did you choose the bottles in First Growths?

Lots of tasting, sharing wine with friends and family, our regular wine tastings with clients and numerous missions to the winelands. Through this wonderful process of elimination, we chose the six estates: Belfield, Ataraxia, Stark-Conde, Raats, Tierhoek and Lammershoek. We worked with them to create the First Growths case and pass huge savings on to consumers. In return, people will talk about their estates and bring them to light.

Are there any other consumer deals in the pipeline?

Absolutely. We have tinkered with our Wine Discovery Cases to add more value here. Basically, you can get an incredible mixed case of wine every quarter for R850. The cases are filled with wines from South Africa and selections from overseas and come with a mini course, where you become Under the Influence of a certain topic – a sip of knowledge, if you will. The case is linked to our Wine Bandit videos and also includes a voucher, to help you re-order wines you love. We are moving away from the monthly wine club model, rather giving people the choice and ability to re-order their preferences.