South African wine exports to the USA have received a significant boost with Cape Classics sealing deals with major restaurant chains.

Cape Classics, one of the pioneering South African wine specialists in the USA, has successfully negotiated deals with the Red Lobster restaurant chain which serves more than 150 million guests per year, and with Uno Chicago Grill which has more than 200 outlets.

Both deals involve Robertson wine producer Excelsior, with the Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon now the premium red wine in all 683 Red Lobster outlets. It is also the first South African wine on the Red Lobster wine menu and the first screw top.

The Red Lobster chain, which is part of the Darden Group, has outlets across the USA and sells the Excelsior wine for $30 a bottle, or $7.75 per glass. The deal with Red Lobster is significant because the restaurant chain is home to the world's biggest wine brands including Australia's Yellow Tail which sells over 10 million cases a year globally.

"The deals provide awesome visibility for South African wines in the USA. Essentially the wine will be served to millions of Americans," said Cape Classics CEO and founder Andre Shearer.

Marc Sachs, of Uno Chicago Grill, has been a supporter of South African wines since meeting Cape Classics CEO Andre Shearer in the early 1990s when Sachs was working as a wine retailer. When Sachs joined Uno Chicago Grill in June of 2005, he set to work on the wine lists and called Shearer. The first change he introduced was adding the Cape Classic's Indaba Chardonnay.

Now Sachs has decided to add the Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon to the list. "I had sold both the Excelsior Cabernet and Shiraz as a retailer with tremendous success. It was well know in the New England market and always to be found on the cognoscenti, 'Hidden Gems,' and 'Best Buy' lists," he said.

The group will be opening a new restaurant concept, Uno Due Go, at two locations at the Dallas Fort Worth airport and both the Indaba Chardonnay and Excelsior Cabernet will be sold by the glass.

Sachs said he had recently received a letter from a guest commenting how impressed she was with Excelsior and asking where she could buy some for her home. "There is no higher praise a restaurant can get on its wine list," he said.

Peter de Wet of Excelsior expressed his delight: "It is a big breakthrough for South African wines in the US market. This deal means a lot to us so hats off to Cape Classics. American wineries also produce quality Cabernet Sauvignon so it is nice to know that we can compete."

Established in New York in 1991, Cape Classics has its head office in New York and represents leading South African brands including Kanonkop, Thelema and Buitenverwachting. Visit www.capeclassics.com for more information.

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