Navigating realm of superb wines

WADE BALES IS THE FACE OF A BUSINESS WITH FOCUS

GEORGINA CROUTH

IT HAS been 26 years since Wade Bales arrived in Cape Town from a stint in exports after completing his Bcom. The city was not a hard sell: Bales, a Durban boy, craved the lifestyle and the coast.

Cape Town was booming as the best place for budding entrepreneurs. “The opportunities in export were in tourism, fruit and wine,” he says from his Wade Bales Fine Wines & Spirits offices in Constantia.

A friend introduced Bales to key figures such as Antonij Rupert at one of his opulent parties.

Bales was hooked: “I thought: this is the good life: it’s about socialising, it’s glamorous, and I found it rather appealing, so I decided to get into the industry.”

Despite the right company, Bales still needed to prove himself. He took a couple of months to research a thesis, read widely, interviewed key players in wine, and produced a report, which he used as a tool to present to prospective clients.

Many doors closed in his face until one was opened by Colin

Collard of The Wine of the Month Club. Collard gave Bales the opportunity to start a “little export company”, which he operated under the club’s umbrella.

A year later, in 1993, exports were doing well and Bales was asked if he would like to buy shares in the club and become managing director.

By 1997 Bales had left the club for a joint venture with the Diner’s Club Wine Society. He says as times were tough, he learnt lessons about entrepreneurship and the importance of pushing through to overcome obstacles.

His tenacity paid off: business became profitable, and eventually he bought out his partners at the Wine Society.

Then he attached his name to the company. It was a great move.

“I put my name to it in 2008, which put a lot of pressure on me but it was moving in the right direction to personalise the business and to differentiate ourselves from the competitors,” he says.

It also gave them a competitive advantage, he says, which expanded the aperture of their audience from being solely for Diner’s Club members to being able to partner with Investec, American Express and other institutions.

Last year, Bales rebranded the Wine Society as Wade Bales Fine Wines & Spirits, a direct-toconsumer business with “a couple of thousand” private clients across the country.

And while they do import spirits and boutique wines, 95% of their business remains local.

Bales says his focus is to grow the local market through curated events and work with private clients, and while premium spirits have become important in the business, clients still know them as the wine specialists.

“We help people navigate the world of wine. We understand our clients’ likes and dislikes and tailor wines that cater to their taste, price, and the occasion.

“We operate at the top end of the market, so we have to give them access to international wines, but we focus on South African wine.”

As the face of the business, he says his duty is to put a stamp of approval on what he is offering clients.

“We have a powerful ability to influence consumers and establish brands because if we really like something, we’ll recommend it and often our clients will take us up on that – and that wine will be served on their table,” he says.

“It’s a great way for producers to get wine to people with a strong endorsement from us. We give people information about wine – why we find it interesting or unique.

“We tell them how and when to serve it, which gives people the ability to serve that wine with confidence.”