Wines of the World Distributors
Wines of the World Distributors was originally formed in early 1965.
The company was first established under the name “GN Pagan Enterprises” and the key objective was to introduce the South African public to wines and related wine innovations from leading vineyards and producers around the world.
Stalwart Giorgio Pagan began importing wines from Portugal because of his own familial roots and Portuguese heritage. In addition, he was able to leverage the friendly relations between Portugal and South Africa.
Pagan’s entrepreneurial vision helped him to build on the Portuguese culture as well as the European traditions deeply entrenched in the Mozambican way of life, particularly in Maputo (formerly Lorenço Marques) and Beira. Mozambique is also a very popular holiday destination for South Africans and this created excellent synergies for his business. This was further enhanced because of the many Portuguese immigrants who were living and working on South African soil.
In 1967 the company changed its name to “Pagan International”.
The business was growing rapidly and became extremely successful in making Portuguese Wines available throughout greater Johannesburg and Pretoria, as well as in Durban and Cape Town. In addition to the Portuguese wines, Pagan International also imported beers like Cuca from Angola, and Laurentina and 2M from Mozambique. Later, leading international brands like Camus Cognac and Laurent Perrier Champagne from France, were added to the fold. Pagan International also launched South African wines such as Spier and Simonsig in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, as part of the expanding selection of brands.
As the demand for Portuguese wines and Ports continued to grow, Giorgio Pagan instilled this as the core focus of the business for many years.
On 1 June 1996, 25 years ago, Giorgio Pagan established Wines of the World Distributors, built on a solid foundation and offering a wide portfolio of excellent brands countrywide.
Wines of the World are now the proud and exclusive representatives in South Africa, of the following renowned wine and Port producers:
- Sogrape Vinhos – the largest producer of wine in Portugal and Europe with best-known brands such as Mateus Rose, Ferreira and Sandeman Port.
- Jose Maria da Fonseca with the well-known Lancers and Periquita wine brand.
- Quinta de Aveleda – producers of the popular Casal Garcia
- Alianca Vinhos SA, Quinta da Bacalhoa SA, Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal, S.A., one of the biggest and most innovative wine-making companies in Portugal.
- ROCIM – Rocim is renowned for the quality of its wines from Alentejo, Lisboa and Douro
Other Wines of the World imported wines include:
- Spain – LAN / Viña Lanciano is the name of this spectacular setting, 72 hectares embraced by a curve of the River Ebro, on the natural border between the Rioja Alta and the Rioja Alavesa.
- Argentina – Finca Flichman, where wines have been produced for more than a century.
- New Zealand – Framingham boutique winery in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand. They craft expressive, individual small batch wines with new world purity and old world complexity.
- Chile – Chateau Los Boldos, a family-owned winery of European origin, located in the exceptional soils of the Cachapoal Andes Valley in Chile.