Shares in major SA banks hit fresh highs on the JSE yesterday in anticipation of the ABSA Champagne Festival at Summerplace. Firstrand trading as FNB (Fizz ‘n Bubbly), RMB (Rare and Mainstream Bubbles), Standard and Nedbank all shot out the lights as the true raison d’etre for banks becomes clear – to supply Champagne to consumers.

1	METAIR	3950	3951	100	2.60.%	190166
2	STEINHOFF	3826	3826	94	2.52.%	6144014
3	ELBGROUP	3998	3999	98	2.51.%	1200
4	FIRSTRAND	3548	3554	73	2.10.%	6969057
5	SASOL	50201	50849	1014	2.06.%	2334982
6	CML	7490	7506	137	1.86.%	462772
7	RMBH	4833	4841	83	1.75.%	1677329
8	STANBANK	12440	12479	205	1.68.%	3206847
9	REDEFINTL	811	830	11	1.38.%	340726
10	HCI	13961	13961	128	0.93.%	136354
11	EOH	7350	7350	56	0.77.%	249905
12	NEDCOR	20829	20933	129	0.62.%	637595
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ABSA should put out a SENS announcement explaining their name which I’m betting stands for Aleit Besit Sjampanje in Africa (AOCA in English) as the Stellenbosch designer Aleit Swanepoel brought boere bling to Sandton and then some.  Was the theme a Greek Temple (a retro style much beloved of Sandton office park designers)?  A Louis XVI salon?  A library in the Hellfire Club?  You check out the paps below and send your answers on a post card to Top Billing.

I selected my ABSA Top Ten blind (drunk) and will blog the results once the auditors have signed off on the selection and the frontrunners have loaded up the boots of their Ferraris.

Meanwhile good progress is being made on plans to replace Johannesburg jacarandas with posters for RMB WineX at the end of the month.  Although the Ferrari was too low and too fast to confirm that the venue for this year’s festivities is indeed the Reptile House at Johannesburg Zoo and I missed the Wine Lizard at Summer Place to confirm.  

Even worse than missing the Lizard was missing the Louis Roederer Champagne he imports, which is strange as they gave him a wine writing award last year which a cynic may easily confuse with an incentive reward for buoyant sales. Reptile lovers should check with their closest branch or ATM for the venue and opening hours of WineX.