French Minister leads delegation to L’Avenir Estate

The French Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, Franck Riester, led a delegation from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to L’Avenir Wine Estate, where a wine industry round table was presented, to discuss opportunities for collaboration between France and South Africa.

The delegation included the French Ambassador to South Africa Aurélien Lechevallier, as well as French Member of Parliament, Amélia Lakrafi, and the new French Consul General in Cape Town Laurent Alberti.

Minister Riester emphasised that France is committed to deepened collaboration and investment and that French firms will follow-up their R20-billion in investment commitments made to South Africa in 2019 with new further investment representing R14-billion. French companies, including Advini South Africa, made pledges worth a combined R20-billion during the South Africa Investment Conference, which took place in Sandton, Gauteng, in November last year. Advini President, Antoine Leccia and Advini South Africa Managing Director, Naretha Ricome, attended this event as part of a delegation of leading French businesses in South Africa. 

The wine industry round table was included in Minister’s Riester’s schedule, based on the growing importance of the wine industry in terms of French investment and potential of further collaboration in terms of research, innovation and social development. A message from Leccia, confirming Advini’s commitment to the South African wine industry was played at the roundtable. Due to Covid-19, Leccia and Ricome were unable to attend the roundtable. 

The Advini South Africa Winemaker of The Future Project was presented as a key example of development and innovation through collaboration between France and South Africa. This project was introduced by Advini President Antoine Leccia and Ambassador Lechevallier at an event at L’Avenir in March.

L’Avenir winemaker, Dirk Coetzee, hosted Minister Riester for an estate visit and presented the L’Avenir Chenin Blanc Single Block vineyard as an example of long-term technical collaboration and development. The genetic material of the Single Block Chenin Blanc vineyard was isolated in Montpellier to propagate a clone. The genetic material evolved over the past 48 years and now represents a unique and authentic L’Avenir clone, which will be commercially available in 2025.

The next South African Investment Conference will be presented on 17 November by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, virtually from Sandton in Johannesburg.

For more information contact Dr Edo Heyns – Advini South Africa Strategic Development Director: Edo.heyns@advinisa.co.za