Well the Wellington annual Quest for the Best certainly delivered the goods this afternoon at the Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel on Buitengracht in Cape Town. Ten stunning Wellington cuvees you’ve probably never heard of were chosen by panel of senior Somalians (below) in a blind (enough of these wimpy Platter sighted) tasting last month from 90 submissions. Somalians are what some SA wine marketers call sommeliers and we agree that the misnomer is totally appropriate for a country trying to attract African tourists.

A Chenin 2011 from Diemersfontein was the best of two whites while the big turn up for the books was a trio of reds from Alkmaar. These wines are a revelation: a light and racy 2011 Pinotage, a smooth 2010 Bordeaux blend called Master and a Rhone one called Mistress. Move over 50 Shades of Gray, this is liquid sex education. The proud authors are shown below:

These are the kind of wines that will turn young S’effricans from alcopops onto wine. Fragrant, luscious, soft and approachable, they are elegant works of art. Hats off to Mutual & Federal whose marketing manager (below) spoke from the heart and put the sponsorship of wine competitions into perspective.

Wellington is a wonder and it’s high time Mohammed came to Table Mountain. Next year, these wines deserve to be shown in Mountain View and Moretele Park.