Well Paris may not like SA Sauvignon Blanc following on from the comments of Olivier Poussier, the John Platter of French wine, at the Taj Classic Wine Trophy Show last month. So some SA producers will take their bottles where they know they’re sure to be appreciated. Parys in the Freestate. At a venue named, incredibly, Stonehenge in Africa. No jokes about rocks and cavemen, please!

Looks like the true Swartland producers are taking back their own marketing from the Franschhoek fashionistas who have hijacked the appellation for their annual Swartland Revolution. For once the celebrity chef is not Reuben Riffel but Tiaan Langenegger, winner of Kokkedoor 2013. The Afrikaans version of MasterChefSA, but with talent and double the audience. I can’t remember whether Tiaan is the kinkelkok or the onthoukok but suspect it won’t matter in Parys where any kok is baas.

His co-winner, Mynhardt Joubert, is off to cook for KWV and will be leaving Lemoenfontein at the end of the month. We have exciting plans for our Swartland oasis in the Siebritskloof, now firmly in the capable hands of Juan Louw. Watch this space.