Siobhan @ South China

Was it a tantalizing glimpse of the future that the incoming WOSA CEO Siobhan Thompson and I had lunch at South China Dim Sum Bar today? Here she sits in front of a Bruce Lee “the big boss” poster which is what she becomes next Friday when she takes over the La-Z-Boy recliner in the new WOSA office at the top of Dorp Street, Stellenbosch.

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Already improved communications are bearing fruit as Siobhan explained the precipitous fall in SA wine exports to Luanda last year (down 24% or 1.5 million litres) was caused by a five month shut down of the port at Luanda after the president’s son took over management of the facility. Co-operative rather than combative seems to be the new management style.

After ordering a Klipdrift Export as digestive with sesame seed handmade ice cream (Siobhan had chocolate), South China owner Ed Hung offered to host a dim sum and brandy tasting in his establishment. “Brandy also works well with Spanish tapas and Greek meze” he offered. With WOSA sorted, could the tide for SA brandy be about to turn too? We’ll find out at a Brandy Guild dinner at Nobu tomorrow night. Sushi and brandy, now there’s a match made in Neptune’s locker.