The Business of Wine

These sessions will introduce delegates to the critical thinking, problem solving, and creative skills needed by contemporary wine business practitioners. It begins with introducing the study of wine business management and the concept of the wine value chain. Delegates will become familiar with core concepts and themes in the field of wine business management. Sessions on key management decisions in wine making and viticulture focus on how to approach value creation in wine production through the lens of differing approaches and models. For example, between biodynamic and conventional producers.

A professional communications expert will coach delegates on principles and good practices involved in delivering engaging and impactful presentations.

Teaching cases are effective teaching tools that used real life scenarios to teach business principles. As a way of developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, these sessions and activities will focus on developing effective case study analysis skills.

Business plan/ business model formulation:

Delegates will learn to how to formulate a medium-term business plan using relevant business model innovation techniques.

A rigorous, tutored, intermediate-level wine judging programme run under the auspices of the prestigious Judging Academy. Delegates will be taught how to identify and, critically and forensically, analyse wines with differing origin, variety, age and style through a highly effective blind tasting methodology.

This session concentrates on the historic, social and economic development of the South African wine industry and provides key insights into its current industry structure and dynamics. They give critical insight interventions into addressing wicked problems facing South African wine businesses, which are embedded in an emerging market context. These sessions will give delegates insight into the macro and micro economic environment that affects wine businesses in South Africa

These foundational sessions focus on different types of business innovation lenses ranging from strategic, operational, managerial and product innovation models. will be unpacked. Furthermore, various holistic leadership concepts, such as values-based leadership will unpacked throughout the course.

These practitioner-driven sessions will give delegates insight into the dynamic regulatory environment and challenges that affect wine businesses in South Africa. It will deal with critical aspects such as: international trade agreements; market access issues; export regulations and exchange rate concerns; certification, standardisation and licensing conventions; aspects of intellectual property related to wine products; and logistics and distribution concerns affecting wine businesses.

Delegates will learn how to approach developing and implementing innovative strategic plans and sustainable business models in wine businesses through practical working sessions and case study analysis.

These sessions will take place in the field. Delegates will interact with practitioners in the business environment to connect concepts introduced in the course and contemporary practices.

An intensive programme which develops an adaptable understanding of key financial management principles and financing models necessary to create value for stakeholders in wine business.

Delegates will learn how to adaptably apply various strategic wine marketing principles and practices to their own organisations in both traditional and emerging wine markets. Delegates will be taught the basics of wine brand strategy both from a tactical and strategic perspective as well as incremental and revolutionary perspective. Delegates will be guided on practical wine business communication techniques and principles focusing on developing and leveraging e-marketing, social media, traditional media and public relations resources.

Wine tourism may be seen as a form of consumer behaviour, opportunity to create regional competitive advantage through collaboration and a channel to drive product sales and build brands.