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NEW NORMAL

helped in the production of anti-COVID-19 di- I have spent the majority of my professional
sinfectants. life working alongside wine, with winemakers,

South Africa suffered with 20 weeks of com- for wine and for winemakers.
plete alcohol ban – no sales, no transportation, Initially, I had the idea of making a sort of
only export was allowed. The direct result of COVID-19 handbook as a kind of sequel to the

the alcohol ban was a finding done less than awarded book on PR and marketing commu-
a week before the 2021 harvest: the South Af- nications in the wine business which I dedica-
rican wine industry collectively has more than ted to winemakers six years back.
640 million litres of wine in stock. As informed The linear thought process which led me to
by Bruce Jack, this is 65% of an average harvest! this decision was surprisingly straightforward:
There isn‘t enough storage capacity to process if my country, the Czech Republic, is failing at
the new grape crop. If the biggest players can‘t anything completely, it‘s in its approach to the
sell their worldwide known wine brands, they government‘s lack of communicating with its

can‘t buy bulk wine, and the whole house of citizens. And here we have born the first incep-

cards collapses. The result is unprofitable wine tion of this project.
grape farms – most already operating on a kni- Sometimes a thing just needs to be labelled
fe edge and leveraged to the hilt. And unlike for it to be processed.
in the UK or Europe, this country doesn‘t have I got in touch with dozens of professionals

the financial resources to compensate busi- across the country, around Europe and over-
nesses or individuals for their loss of income. seas, both practitioners and academics and
But from disasters, misfortune, and tragedy asked them to take a moment to think and
to return to why this book was written. contribute their experiences and visions to

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