Kindly be informed that the offices of the DALRRD will be closed at 12:30 PM on Friday,16 October 2026, for premises fumigation.

We kindly request that you arrange for the delivery of all samples and the collection of necessary documentation prior to the indicated closure time.

Sample and Export submission

The last sensorial tasting will take place on 15 December.

Export/Renewal/Additional Analysis samples need to be submitted before 15h30  on 14 December.

Control/Loading samples need to be submitted before 15h30 on 15 December.

Import samples need to be submitted before 15h30 on 15 December.

DoA Office Closure

The DoA offices will close on 23 December at 16:00 and reopen on 4 January 2027 at 07:30. Please arrange for all documentation to be collected before the closing date and time as no physical documentation will be processed during this period.

Wine Online Support and Export Queries

Michael Alberts will be available during the closure period and contactable at helpdesk@doawineonline.co.za.

This is a reminder that the annual maintenance fee for the registration of A and B Code numbers is due on or before 31 October 2026.

In terms of Regulation 40(5) of the Regulations under the Liquor Products Act, 1989 (Act No. 60 of 1989), each responsible seller in respect of whom a code number is registered is required to pay the prescribed annual maintenance fee on or before 31 October each year.

Invoices for the 2026 annual maintenance fee were generated and sent to code holders on 25 June 2026.

Viewing your invoice and payment status

Your invoice and its current payment status can be viewed on Wine Online:

1. Log in to Wine Online at www.doawineonline.co.za.
2. Navigate to Status.
3. Select A and B Code Applications as the transaction type.
4. Enter your A or B Code number in the Code Number field and click Search.
5. Click View on the applicable record.
6. Under Code Number Invoices, your invoices and their current status will be displayed.
7. Click the applicable invoice number (for example, AByyyy/xxxx) to view and print the invoice.

If you have already made payment, you can use the same screen to confirm whether your payment has been allocated. The Status column will indicate whether the invoice is PAID or AWAITING PAYMENT.

Important: Failure to pay by 31 October 2026

In terms of Regulation 40(6)(a)(i), the registration of a code number shall lapse if the annual maintenance fee has not been paid as required.

Code holders are therefore urged to ensure that the required maintenance fee is paid on or before 31 October 2026 to prevent their A or B Code registration from lapsing.

Assistance

If you do not have access to Wine Online, are unable to retrieve your invoice, or experience any other difficulty, please contact helpdesk@doawineonline.co.za.

Please include your A or B Code number in your query to enable the Helpdesk to identify the relevant registration and assist you.

On 1 September 2026, the bottled and bulk quotas combine in the EU and UK respectively. This means that bulk shipments cleared from 1 September 2026 and before 31 December 2026 may derive benefit from the respective bottled quotas where the bulk quotas have been exhausted.

As in previous years, the remaining bottled and bulk quotas will be opened on a first-come-first-served basis to facilitate the combining of the quotas and provide exporters with access to additional available quota.

Bottled and Bulk Quota

From 1 September 2026, the bottled and bulk quotas will be opened on a first-come-first-served basis, irrespective of an exporter’s remaining allocation. Quota claims may therefore be submitted for any qualifying bottled or bulk exports, even where the exporter has exhausted or exceeded their individual allocation.

Provision will be made to retain and ring-fence sufficient volume to satisfy the needs of existing quota holders until the end of the year.

Please take note of the following:

• This arrangement applies only to consignments cleared in the EU or UK on or after 1 September 2026 and before 31 December 2026.
• Retrospective applications will be permitted, provided that the consignment was cleared on or after 1 September 2026 and before 31 December 2026.
• Where the bulk quota has been exhausted, the claim should be submitted against the bottled quota in the country of clearance.

Wine Online Quota Claims

The process for claiming quota on Wine Online remains unchanged.

To submit a quota claim, navigate to Documentation – Documents – Applications – Quota Declaration. Submit the quota declaration for the applicable exports using the standard search functionality and clicking Edit.

Important Notes

Existing quota holders are strongly encouraged to process outstanding claims immediately. This will ensure that their existing allocations are utilised before the remaining quota is opened on a first-come-first-served basis and potentially exhausted.

Exporters must ensure that consignments intended to benefit from the above arrangement are cleared within the applicable period.

Should a bulk consignment benefiting from this arrangement only arrive or be cleared at the port of discharge in 2027, the applicable volume will be deducted retrospectively from the exporter’s 2027 allocation. This is necessary to ensure that South African quota allocations remain aligned with the actual utilisation recorded in the EU and UK.

Should you require any additional information, the Department and Wine Online teams will be available for further engagement.