Wine and fruit farmers' expo
30 June 2009
Intervitis Interfructa, the largest agriculture expo in the Western Cape, incorporating the Wine Farmers and Fruit Growers Exhibition, takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 28 to 30 July.
It will be the eleventh time that the bi-annual show takes place, and the organisers are expecting it to exceed all previous shows, based on the demand they have experienced.
Intervitis Interfructa operates in many countries around the world, including Argentina, Austria, Australia, China, Germany, India, and Russia. The exhibitions showcase international expertise and the latest technological know-how, and give local companies the opportunity to participate in a growing global network.
The expo is expected to draw over 6 000 winemakers, fruit farmers, brand managers, and markerters and exporters of wine and fruit products from southern Africa.
Exhibitors
Exhibitors include manufacturers and suppliers of a range of agricultural products and wine-making equipment and services, from soil to the packaged product en route to its final destination.
The exhibition also embraces the latest available techniques and technologies, and works in close collaboration with the various associations and institutions that regulate the wine and fruit industries.
And the inaugural Intervitis Interfructa Innovation Awards will encourage innovation and stimulate technical progress in southern Africa.
The awards will be judged in five categories: cultivation techniques for wine and fruit; harvesting and processing technologies; enology (wine and fruit juice, sparkling wine, spirits, etc); filling, closing and packaging technology; and sales and marketing.
Five main sections
The exhibition is divided into five main sections:
Cultivation techniques, including automation, innovative mechanical defoliation techniques, environmental practices, new machinery, tree and vine work, tractor and transportation equipment, soil cultivation and plant protection.
Harvesting and processing, including mechanical harvesting technology, optimisation and refinement of individual process steps, easy to clean processing systems, innovative press optimisation, machinery, equipment and accessories for harvesting, processing of table fruits, grapes and fruit for crushing and pressing, mash treatment, drying tables and must and juice extraction.
Enology (the study of, and making of, wine), including standardised modularised and automated cooling systems, pump and handling systems, separation and filtration technology, fruit juice, must and wine treatment, beverage analysis, containers and accessories, cleaning and hygiene, environmental protection and waste water technology, sparkling wine and distillery technology.
Filling, sealing, and packaging, including bottle closure, packaging, microbiological safety, cleaning and disinfection, sorting and checking systems, cleaning systems, filling systems and accessories, corking, capping, sealing machines, outfitting machines, packaging and outfitting materials, coding, print and labeling, in-plant logistics, warehousing, materials handling and transportation.
Sales and Marketing, including from production to shelf, farming estates to growing regions, company brochures to a tourist concept, local markets to export opportunities, research to packaging and label design and information technology to developing niche markets. Key exhibition areas include sales and presentation, research and computers.
Conference
The fourth South African Society for Enology and Viticulture (Sasev) Conference on Enology and Viticulture, under the them "enology and viticulture beyond 2010", will run concurrently with the expo.
The conference is designed to combine science with the practical aspects of viticulture and oenology through keynote lectures and hands-on workshops that include case studies, wine tastings and practical examples from the industry.
SAinfo reporter
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