The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards grown to become South Africa’s largest drinks competition measured in both entries received, and international recognition. In it’s 20th year of continuous operation, the prestigious Michelangelo attracted no less than 1 829 wine entries from South Africa, Europe and South America.
Michelangelo has now entered into a joint venture and shareholding agreement with Media Nova Publishing of Namibia, and Tamasa Trading South Africa, with one objective: To drastically add value, brand recognition and sales to the South African wine industry.
Media Nova Publishing publishes the in-flight magazine of 19 airlines, and Tamasa Trading conducts boutique, high end wine and spirits shows in SADEC, Africa and the Far East, as well as wine supply to a massive international client base.
In a world-first innovative initiative, the new joint venture has partnered with two industry giants in South Africa – Airlink Airlines, and Tsogo Sun Hotel Group, who, together with Media Nova and Tamasa Trading will add substantial, and very significant, marketing exposure to all participating wineries to the Michelangelo awards.
Samples of all entries received will be served on Airlink’s flights that offer a bar service, and the new innovative QR codes that will henceforth be part of the Michelangelo award medals, will, when scanned with a smartphone, take consumers to the tasting notes and website of the applicable wine farm, thus driving traffic and sales leads to all participating wine farms from the international marketplace.
Passengers on all Airlink’s flights – over 37 destinations, on a current fleet of 49 aircraft that carry in excess of 1.3 million passengers annually – will be encouraged to interact with the new Michelangelo medals, and the initiative will be further supported by monthly call to action articles in Airlink’s in-flight magazine.
Tsogo Sun will, apart from hosting the prestigious awards dinner, also host the first Michelangelo Award Winners wine shows – which we promise will, with the help from these industry giants, become Africa’s most prestigious and innovative wine show. Furthermore, Tsogo Sun will showcase the judging process and awards dinner on their in-house TV channel, Inspire, which will be screened in 14 600 rooms in more than 100 hotels and entertainment venues.
Michelangelo, Media Nova, Tamasa Trading, Airlink and Tsogo Sun are poised to bring the South African Wine Industry value, massive additional marketing, and international recognition in ways unseen to date.
Lorraine Immelman Michelangelo
Mynard Slabbert Media Nova
