The average South African wine buyer from all demographic groups associate natural cork as the best wine closure in terms of quality and image associated with wine consumption, according to recent studies conducted by Ipsos-Markinor and Eion du Toit for Orange River Wine Cellars. The giant wine producer based in the Northern Cape, who has been recently awarded one of the South Africa's Best Value Wine Guide overall Top performers in 2010, has embarked on an intensive bout of market research to determine wine drinker preferences in South Africa. Ipsos-Markinor, one of South Africa's leading market research companies, conducted studies through various focus groups throughout the country. Eion Smit, a leading ethnographer specializing in consumer trends in the black market, hit the townships, trawling taverns and speaking to wine drinkers about preferences.