Recent Article on Withington in the Sunday Times

The following is an interview Charles had with leading South African wine journalist, Neil Pendock of the Sunday Times newspaper in South Africa. The edited version will be found at : 

http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=2223240

Charles Withington is a rare bird on the SA wine landscape: a negociant who buys wine from producers according to his palate and specifications and sells it, primarily in the UK , but with a growing local market.  Neil Pendock spoke to him about the challenges of living off your tongue.

PENDOCK: Having been intimately involved in marketing for some large private wineries like Rustenberg and Backsberg, was becoming a negociant freedom?

WITHINGTON: Indeed … while I was fortunate to be involved with, and committed to some great wineries, nothing is more challenging than flying solo.

PENDOCK: Why are there not more merchants sourcing, blending and labeling their own brands?

WITHINGTON:  Conventionally South African producers had the mind-set that they could produce, and the market would buy what they provided. We are now shifting to a situation where more and more the consumer is calling the shots. I believe that there now exists a gap for merchants, unfettered by vineyard, winery and producer ego,  who are willing to spend time understanding their consumers and conveying this  information back to their growers and producers.  The South African producer and his consumer are not in synch which creates frustration for the former,  confusion for the latter, and some of the schizophrenia we now see in the marketplace.

PENDOCK: What do you look for when you taste wine?

WITHINGTON: An experience of enjoyment and satisfaction ….a sense of …”wow” our customers will love  this”.  But also very important is structure coupled with elegance and balance. Showy wines, high alcohols and hidden sugar are an absolute no-no …. while they might seduce at first taste they are not wines you can spend an entire evening with, nor remember fondly the next day.

PENDOCK: Do you set much store by tasting panel results in wine magazines and competitions?

WITHINGTON: Not a huge amount … mainly because all they really serve to confirm is that there are so many exceptions to the rule that maybe the rules do not work ! The only real accolade for me, and this is valid at any price point , it that of “repeat purchase” For a wine to succeed, the buyer must want to buy another bottle … while the first sale might be hype, the second is reality !!

PENDOCK: Does SA red wine age?

WITHINGTON: Yes, I believe the leading SA reds with track records do age well. I have had many an old Rustenberg, Thelema, Kanonkop etc that are truly outstanding. In fact, last year I served Ch’ng  Poh Tiong, publisher of the definitive Singapore wine magazine a Rustenberg 1974.  He subsequently wrote it was the best South African wine he had tasted during his visit.

PENDOCK: Will SA ever break out of the GBP 3.99 price category in UK supermarkets?

WITHINGTON: Yes indeed, if we go about it the right way. The breakout will be occasioned by our top end wines doing well in these markets, and change in perception will be driven by a combination of very professional marketing and these leading  end wines showing  consistent excellence. In this game “a victory for one is a victory for all”  and the relatively huge amount of exposure that a wine like Vilafonte is getting in the USA when underwritten by people with the gravitas of Phil Freese and Zelma Long,  does an inestimable amount for the perception  of Brand SA.