A group of 10 wine producers from the Worcester region near Cape Town are putting Braille labelling on some of their bottles to make it possible for blind drinkers to select their wines. Some 5m bottles are expected to be produced in 2007 with the Braille labelling, some of which will be exported. Bottles of shiraz and sauvignon blanc will have Braille embossed on the glass. A proportion of the proceeds from the sales will go to Africa's largest braille resource centre. Worcester Winelands Association marketing manager, Bridget Zietkiewicz, said that it had been technically difficult to produce the bottles with embossed Braille script as Braille cannot be read on a curve. But technical assistance from a glass manufacturer had overcome this problem. "We are making this initiative as part of trying to set Worcester apart as a wine destination from the rest of the country," Zietkiewicz said.
