According to Larousse Gastronomique, Chateaubriand is a thick fillet created by chef Montmireil for François-René de Chateaubriand, ambassador of Napoleon. Dinner was at Sterlings, a steakhouse in the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, Nevada, so René and Reno being kissing cousins, it seemed like a good match. But what to drink? The iPad menu (below) lists Beaujolais as the only French red – incredible in a restaurant so highly regarded by the Wine Speculator.

So we decided to head south to Argentina and the Colomé Bodega of Donald Hess who also owns Glen Carlou, amongst other properties around the world, there being no SA wine on the wine list at all. Quite how Malbec ended up in Reno is a mystery of marketing. Pinotage would also have been a good call, especially with the mining heritage Nevada shares with South Africa as demonstrated by the mine headgear in the casino.

This is the kind of “think outside the box” association WOSA should embrace rather than the Beautiful South cliché  they’re dusting off for ProWein with a cast of performers without any from SA. Mines and Wines: SA and Nevada would make a great terroir test match. Wines from the Sierra Nevada versus those of Robertson and the Swartland. Just the venue to showcase the Kibali blend Mark Bristow, CEO of Randgold Resources, won in a bet with Mark Cutifani, CEO of Anglo American. In the old days, it would have been poker. Today its wine. Across the border in California, Dave Jefferson sees Hollywood as the vehicle to advance the cause of Pinotage in the USA.

Mines & Wines or a prequel to Safe House, a CIA thriller, someone needs to do something, anything, to advance the cause of SA wine in the USA for whatever pills SA wine have been taking so far, clearly ain’t working.