South Africa’s first, bespoke online wine retailer, Port2Port, was launched into the “vinosphere” recently, providing wine enthusiasts with access to a carefully curated and accessible catalogue of distinctive, limited-edition South African and internationally-acclaimed wines, at the click of a button. In addition, the Port2Port platform is promoting a social media community for wine enthusiasts and experts, which up to now has not existed in South Africa.
“With Port2Port, anyone can be a wine connoisseur and everyone becomes a wine lover. Users are encouraged to share their opinions and preferences, in order to tailor the site directly and exactly to their interests. What makes Port2Port one of the most progressive platforms in the South African wine industry today, is its merge of digital know-how with the age-old appreciation of wine,” says co-owner Nicolò Stortiglione Pudel.
The Port2Port platform was established by self-proclaimed “wine lovers”, Vincent Bührer, owner of Saxenburg Wine Estate, and Stortiglione Pudel, managing director of Pier2Pier, in their journey to pioneer the art of wine appreciation and build a community of other wine lovers in South Africa.
The platform, which is now fully functional and accepting orders, aims to personalise the online wine experience through a number of features, guiding both beginners in wine appreciation, as well as experienced aficionados, in order to facilitate an online conversation between wine lovers.
Some of the online Port2Port features include in-depth tasting notes and pairing suggestions for each wine; weekly newsletters; user-built ‘mixed cases’; profiles on featured farms; a user rating and review system and; archives of vintage and specialty wines as well as specially curated mixed-case offers.
