Premium and box wine in the same sentence?

Retail company Woolworths has launched a range of premium local wines in boxes. What has been described as “papsak” now comes in a premium range selling from R124.99 to R159.99.

The premium brands are Kleine Zalze chenin blanc, Pierre Jourdan Tranquille Blush, Beyerskloof pinotage, and Diemersdal sauvignon blanc.

The release of the ranges comes at a time when wine farmers in SA are struggling after the ban on alcohol sales during lockdown levels 5, 4 and 3.

The ban was lifted in level 2, however the Southern African Agri-Initiative (Saai), which represents 120 farmers in the wine and tobacco industry, said the relaxation was too little, too late for many farmers.

“Job losses have already resulted in a social crisis in the wine industry, where the loss of business is not only limited to the 2020 production year,” Saai's chairperson Dr Theo de Jager said in a statement at the time.

“A farm cannot be closed down for a year, and very few farmers are able to survive two consecutive years’ loss of income or turnover.”

On social media, the announcement drew mixed reactions from wine lovers.

While some thought the premium box wine was an innovative step to help the wine farms post Covid-19, others were not impressed at the thought of sipping their grapes from a box.