Cloof took part in Japan's largest food and beverage show, Foodex, which was held in Tokyo recently. Visitors were interested to taste Pinotage (being South Africa's indigenous grape). Crucible and Lynchpin were highly praised, but The Very Sexy Shiraz probably won us the most friends.

People were initially drawn to the label, and universally praised the wine's elegance. The Japanese word oi-shi, denoting something that is enjoyed and tastes good, accompanied many appreciative smiles as Cloof wines were being tasted (and particularly The Very Sexy Shiraz).

South Africa's share of the Japan's wine market is only around 1%, which to all intents and purposes may as well be 0%. There is just not enough South African wine in distribution for wine professionals (let alone consumers) to take it seriously. It was shocking to discover that South African wines do not even form part of somelliers' training. Especially at the top end, France shapes wine expectations in Japan.

We had several interesting contacts, and hope to be successful in this very affluent market.

This year, incidentally, we've added new customers in Germany, Holland, Canada, Iceland and Thailand, so thus far 2007 has been a great year for us.