Drink South Africa: Effects of Covid-19 Felt Across the Globe
Part 2 of our limited series, Drink South Africa.
It’s a rare Chicago sunny Sunday afternoon in March. People are logging onto a zoom meeting across the city. This time, it isn’t for work or a rousing game of virtual poker; they’re logging into a wine class taught by Jhea Fulgaro. Jhea has partnered with Dirk Coetzee of South Africa’s L’Avenir winery and his US importer Folio Fine Wine. The purpose of this afternoon of drinking and learning is two-fold-- to encourage awareness of high quality South African wine, and to provide much needed fundraising assistance to Jhea’s family.
Spread created by Jhea Fulgaro for Zoom tasting
Last summer, Jhea was laid off from her position at a national wine and spirits distributor. She lost not only her salary, but also her benefits, including healthcare. Many of the single or childless professionals who faced similar fates went to the marketplace and found bare bones healthcare plans to get them through, crossing fingers no medical emergencies would be faced. Jhea, however, has a daughter in elementary school and a husband with stage four lung cancer; she has been the primary breadwinner for her family for several years now. Her Cobra payment to retain her once employer-sponsored healthcare is a whopping $1400. With a husband whose life is dependent upon expensive drugs and cutting edge experimental procedures, Jhea saw no choice but to make the payments and retain this healthcare for her family, often at the expense of alternative payments, such as her mortgage.
L’Avenir Winery | Stellenbosch, South Africa
While on opposite sides of the world, Jhea and Dirk are both experiencing the very personal impact of Covid-19. Dirk’s winery has also faced struggle during the pandemic. In the last year, alcoholic beverage sales have been prohibited by the South African government during three different periods, each lasting anywhere between 5 weeks to several months. The country’s government stated it imposed the bans in order to reduce the number of hospitalizations resulting from overconsumption, thereby reserving more space for Covid-19 patients. Alcohol overuse is a widespread problem throughout the country, where economic inequality and civil unrest remain overarching issues.
While the ban dealt an immediate massive financial burden, the consequences could be even more far reaching. The inconsistency in supply has led to South African wines being left out of the mix when a sales rep presents prospects to a wine buyer at a restaurant or retail shop. Without confidence that adequate quantities of the wine will be available, distributors are hesitant to overpromise and underdeliver. This ripples in the direction of the consumer, who sees fewer South African wines popping up on restaurant wine lists and store shelves, or being recommended by sommeliers and store clerks.
This limitation of exposure could have long-term effects on the reputation and financial success of the South African wine industry, which is still struggling to gain appreciation as a region producing exceptional quality.
Dirk Coetzee | Winemaker, L’Avenir Winery
L’Avenir and its winemaker Dirk are hopeful that they are now through the worst. Dirk says he is grateful that the owners of L’Avenir also have wineries in other countries, such as France, whose financial success during this time can be spread to assist L’Avenir. He feels and fears for his colleagues who run much smaller wineries and are not as fortunate.
“In a time when our world feels more divided than ever, the collaboration between Jhea and Dirk is a cross-continental embodiment of Ubuntu and proof that we are only as divided as we allow ourselves to be.”
Jhea Fulgaro
As for Jhea, she is hopeful that she will qualify for Cobra assistance under the new Cares Act. She has started some freelance consulting and is eager to be back to full-time work soon. In the meantime, she is enjoying tea parties with her daughter Daisy and husband John.
In Africa, there is a philosophy known as “Ubuntu,” which promotes a realization of the full self by coming into community with others and recognizing that the individual is simply one part of the whole. In a time when our world feels more divided than ever, the collaboration between Jhea and Dirk is a cross-continental embodiment of Ubuntu and proof that we are only as divided as we allow ourselves to be.
If you would like to find more information about assisting Jhea, please visit the link below:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/john-polo-medical-expense-fund
For more information on L’Avenir winery: