KWV pours away 67,000 litres of tampered wine
added illegal flavourants to their 2004 vintages. The company will
stand to lose an estimated €130,000 from the lost wine but the
damage to its reputation could cost millions, writes Kim Hunter
Gordon.
The Laborie Sauvignon Blanc and some of the KWV Reserve Sauvignon Blanc will be destroyed under the supervision of the South African Wine and Spirits Board (WSB).
CEO Dr Willem Barnard claimed that the two winemakers acted independently of KWV and each other. "KWV's value system and practices are aimed at the ethical and legal production of wine. It is a traumatic incident for us but we believe that it will serve as a serious warning and an example also for other wine makers," he said.
He revealed that the WSB had contacted him in October having found illegal samples and that he called in auditors PriceWaterhouseCoopers to launch a thorough investigation to confirm the findings. It took two months, and involved a polygraph lie detector, which the two culprits, Ian Nieuwoudt and Gideon Theron, refused to take. The winemakers were dismissed and the WSB may yet choose to press for a prosecution.
Andre Morgenthal, communications officer at the Wines of South Africa industry association, said that that the region had experienced a good harvest but that winemakers were under a great deal pressure to win competitions and status. He said the actions of two men were "a blow to the industry"and explained their motivation simply as "ego-driven and individualistic, in pursuit of potential fame".
He added: "With the suspicions of tampering that have been going around for last two years, it's heart warming that this has been identified and that something has been done about it. We can be proud of the integrity and severity with which the South African industry has dealt with this." He was confident that from now on, at least in South Africa, wine will be free from flavourants.
Nieuwoudt and Theron, part of a team of seven winemakers, had been with KWV for six and ten years, respectively. One used a synthetic flavourant used in fruit drinks and the other a natural flavourant he made from the extract of green peppers. KWV assured BeverageDaily.com that it had tested 2003 vintages of KWV Laborie Sauvignon Blanc and KWV Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, and that they were "clean".
"It's a very sad thing, but one thing I'm proud of is that my management handled this in a way I can associate myself with. The company was not guilty, those individuals were," said Dr Barnard.
