Who has the Sauvignon muscle to triumph at the Ultra Liquors Mussels in May shellfish showdown at Den Anker on May 31?  Darling takes on Durbanville and while on paper, Durbanville should be dominant, thanks to the number overwhelming number of brands, a list of the Darling producers, reveals a couple of unexpected heavy hitters:

1)      Ormonde Vineyards

2)      Fairview Wines

3)      Cloof Wine Estate

4)      Groote Post Vineyards

5)      Neil Ellis Wines

6)      Darling Cellars

7)      Withington

Fairview and Neil Ellis are not names you usually associate with Darling, but its where they buy their grapes. At the Commanderie de Bordeaux function at the Taj Hotel on Thursday, Conrad Vlok – who knows more than most about Sauvignon (his Adamastor  blend is a beauty) – reckons Darling had a stunning 2014 vintage.

The only weak point in the Darling defence is the absence of Tukulu flying the Fair Trade flag with their EarthBound brand, which is a stonker. It’s clearly not a vote of no-confidence in shellfish by Distell as Durbanville Hills are in the thick of it, along with

1)     De Grendel Wines

2)     Durbanville Hills

3)     Altydgedacht

4)     Signal Gun

5)     Bloemendal Wine Estate

6)     Maastricht

7)     Diemersdal

8)     Hillcrest Estate

9)     Nitida Cellars

Tickets are selling like hotcakes and are at the halfway mark already, with six weeks still to play.

With braais fingered as a likely source for the present plague of colon cancer, mussels are a perfect marketing vehicle for the most popular white cultivar in the Cape cellar. Something for the chefs planning the Winter Chenin Showcase (surely Chenin Winter Showcase? ed.) menu at Delaire on Wednesday to take on board. The food at Delaire is delicious, but Indochine will have to work like Chinamen to better the delights of Den Anker.