Beyond Wines adds Western Cape-based Overhex to its portfolio

By James Bayley

Published: 24 January, 2023

In a bid to grow South African Wines in the UK, distributor Beyond Wines has added Western Cape-based Overhex to its portfolio.

The partnership will see three Overhex brands enter the UK market, with each brand suiting a different pricing segment and consumer profile, to help make their wine “accessible to drinkers who enjoy wine but don’t know a lot about it”.

Co-founder of Liquid Diamond and Beyond Wines, Alex Green, said: “We predict a renaissance for South African wines in the UK with producers such as Overhex bringing fresh ideas to reinvigorate sales.

READ MORE: Wines of South Africa reveals 2022 export declines

“Our partnership enables us to offer quality wines across a broad range of styles from one composite supplier, to jointly drive interest in the South African Wine category.”

The first brand is Survivor – the name pays homage to the story of a fearless cow who fell off a cattle truck and, many years later, now lives in the vineyards with her 11 calves. The range features wines from the Elgin Valley, Swartland and Stellenbosch, featuring South African classics Chenin Blanc and Pinotage amongst others. Working with cellar master Pierre Wahl, the range is expanding under the dutiful eye of the so-called 'Pope of Pinotage'.

The second brand is a premium range called The Mooring, sourced from vineyards along the Cape of Storm’s infamous shipwrecked coastline, each hand-illustrated label tells the story of a ship that never made its mooring in the Cape.

Starting from £10 RRP, the minerally Sauvignon Blanc and spiced berry Syrah Grenache are available to consumers through Adnams, with more retailers coming soon.

Lastly, Balance is a brand that offers a wide range of wine styles at different price points. Partnered with the Elephant Human Relations Aid programme in Namibia, consumers can also give back to a good cause. RRP from £7.

The wines will sit alongside Beyond Wines’ existing range, including pillar brand, Liquid Diamond, which the distributor launched using emoji tasting notes to make buying cues easy for the social media generation.

Co-founder of Liquid Diamond and Beyond Wines, Matt Johnson, said: “As well as using values to engage shoppers, the brand story is incredibly powerful when it comes to building a loyal customer base. We see huge potential for excellent brands with character. Overhex wines have the stories and the credibility to interest consumers and are backed by production scale to supply large retailers and hospitality outlets. These brands will be particularly important additions to our portfolio as we see renewed interest in New World wines in our post-Brexit landscape.”

Lise Ewins, MD at Overhex, added: “Beyond Wines has an innovative approach to wine trade, pairing strong connections in the retail and on-trade in the UK with an appreciation of using brands to appeal to consumers. This is not a combination often found and, together with the team’s expertise on navigating Brexit, will help us to secure a firm footing in Britain and redefine how Brits view South African wine.”

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