The news that Chris Hellinger has sold his fisherman’s paradise in the armpit of Africa, Bom Bom Island, to Africa’s first astronaut Mark Shuttleworth, is reason enough to suggest a visit to Chamonix which is also owned by Chris. While Franschhoek itself may be running out of steam as the Food Capital of SA, when it comes to barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc, on its own or blended with Semillon, Chamonix winemaker Gottfried Mocke is on the topmost rung. Here he is (left) with Belgian restaurateur Christian Cloos on Tuesday.

Gottfried is not only SA’s Great White Hope, he also makes a mean Pinot Noir and perhaps even better Pinotage called Greywacke. Which has to be a magnet for the Mining Indaba which hits town in February. Smart tour operators will be booking those tour buses now to transport delegates for a snoek braai in the Winelands. This goal is so open, not even the Blue Bulls can miss.

Meanwhile, in a week that saw Jancis Robinson accuse Canada’s leading wine writer Natalie MacLean of plagiarizing her tasting notes, comes a tasting note for the Mullineux Straw Wine 2011 that not even Nats would wish to steal. “Super-rich but glorious. Dried apricots but in lush mode rather than the very tight, crisp mode of Tokaj (see Royal Tokaji’s delicious Betsek 2007 from Berry Bros). You (almost) taste the sweat that went into this. Long and rich and nervy. 12%.”

The question on everyone’s lips is whose sweat did La Jancis taste? Chris, Andrea (elevated to the Cape Winemakers’ Guild this past week) or Bigboy Appolis?