Michael Fridjhon, one of the country's leading wine experts and writers, has been appointed Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Business (GSB).

The appointment is expected to boost the school's capacity to deliver business programmes tailored to the needs of the wine industry.

Fridjhon begins his teaching term in July on the pioneering Wine Business Programme, launched last November as a joint initiative between the GSB and the University of Adelaide, Australia.

The programme is the first of its kind in South Africa to focus on the business side of the wine industry, and was developed to build much-needed leadership and management capacity in the wine industry.

Competitiveness is one of the key areas his lectures will address.

"I think it is important to help the local industry managers develop an understanding of the South African wine industry within the global marketplace," he said. "They need to be able to anticipate key trends and have the insight to plan their participation accordingly."

Fridjhon believes there are positive signs in the local industry that need to be exploited.

"On a viticultural level, our vineyards are much better than they were five to ten years ago and we have some of the best winemakers in the world. We now need to communicate this to the international market in the best way."