Dapper Devon Valley winery owner Fons Aaldering (below, on the right with yrs truly and wonderful wife Marianne) gave an elegant reply to the Wall Street Journal and their Pinotage-hating Jay McInerney-stand in wine columnist, the gorgeous ginge Lettie Teague (pronounced fatigue) yesterday at lunch at Bizerca Bistro, recently relocated to Heritage Square in Cape Town. White Pinotage.

His savoury Aaldering white Pinotage was judged up to French standards by Bizerca boss, that angelic vision on a Vespa, Raphael, who recommended it with ris de veaux and scallops, pigs trotters, the bistro’s former flagship dish, now being call-ahead only. And nobody had. Fons is off to New York next month and should take a bottle along for Lettie who claims “never to have had a good Pinotage.” Yet.

Brian, a passing Mauritian casino who only drinks Chardonnay (Puligny Montrachet) called it “interesting” and promised email feedback on the bottle of Aaldering Chardonnay I rashly offered him. With an embossed label costing R8.50 each in SA – ten times the price of wine labels in Europe – the odds in the local wine casino are not stacked in favour of producers.