The marketers at Du Toitskloof Winery may very well be “ignorant Dutchmen” as garrulous ginge Kevin Kidson, nerd behind www.wine.co.za, alleged earlier this year. But when it comes to doing their jobs, these kaaskoppe are no domkoppe, as any fule kno. For they have signed up Kokkedoor, the Kyknet amateur cook meets professional chef TV program in a three year deal. I’m betting their sponsorship is way less than the dosh Nederburg dole out to MasterChefSA for far fewer viewers and a tedious dish-by-dish commentary from an overcooked cetecian with a phobia of pubic hair brought on by blocked showers in his guest houses.

Already Pete Goffe-Wood (above with winemaker Wilhelm Pienaar), that Shrek of the Sink, has taken the place of Vladimir, the dognapped Jack Russell of Nederburg cellarmaster Razvan Macici. How long before a kinkelkok konkels with some of the excellent Du Toitskloof Sauvignon Blanc, curiously absent from the FNB Top Ten list? Could it be Du Toitskloof is out of flavour because they refused to take 30 pieces of silver from Diners Club for their Winewriter of the Year Competition earlier this year? Will there ever be a Platanna five star stunner from Du Toitskloof? Probably not while ignorant Dutchmen chose ethics over expediency. Shame! as you don’t say in Sandton.

Marius Louw, CEO of Du Toitskloof Wines, did say however “in the more than 50 years since the start of the winery we have always wanted to make wines that could be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere, and especially in the presence of good food and great company. South Africans love to entertain and to hand down recipes from one generation to the next. That’s part of our culture. And our best entertaining is around the kitchen table or the braai, spending time with family and friends. Kokkedoor encapsulates much of this culture and we are extremely pleased to be part of it.”

But is SA food in danger of splitting along language lines? While few will doubt that KykNet is a TV-channel way ahead of MNET in the same way Media24 runs rings around Avusa, are chefs in danger of being defined by the language they speak rather than the dishes they cook? If so, this will spell doom for SA cuisine.

Hollywood arrives in the Swartland this week with the filming of a new celebrity chef TV series on Lemoenfontein. A strict closed-set policy is in place and posters, like the one above, are in place to keep unwanted unruly elements out.