80% of patrons at Myoga Restaurant at the Vineyard Hotel order the seven course tasting menu for R225 and of them, 40% take the wine pairing option for an extra R170. Incredible value in these inflationary times, with the abstemious statistic due to drink-drive enforcement by PC van der Plod. Before they enter the restaurant, ladies receive a word of advice from Lady Anne Barnard (below, as the Vineyard was formerly her house).

The restaurant (below) is all Alice in Wonderland chairs, steel tables and Market Theatre arches and the wine matching is orchestrated by one of the few non-Swedish sommeliers in the Cape, lovely Lisa Gorge. Last night the place was heaving inscrutably with Japanese tourists.

To start, a single plump oyster with wasabi sorbet and Graham Beck bubbles NV. Wasabi wow!

Next up was curried pork knuckle terrine and a Thelema Riesling 2010 with the pig fat pleasantly hydrolyzed by the acidic wine.

Then there was a umami interchange between a Porcini soup and a Sterhuis Chenin 2009. The soup won.

The seafood linguini was paired with an off-dry Groote Post Riesling 2010, but the wine was a little too sweet for the delicate calamari – I’d have preferred Thys Louw’s Sir Lambert 2012 Sauvignon Blanc. A Sir Juice for grownups.

Yet another white for the BBQ pork tenderloin in the shape of a Mulderbosch Chardonnay 2009.

Finally the most daring dish: bacon and Brie crumble matched with Ratafia. A desert made in heaven and a whole meal matched with white wine. How cool is that?

My companion ordered a totally different seven dishes and got a Barbera, a Bukettraube, a Riesling, a Shiraz and a red Muscadel. Pedestrian this wine pairing ain’t. Value for money, definitely.