Now that the worst kept secret in the Winelands – the identity of new winemakers elected to the CWG – is out, Uncorked is unfettered to make some (mostly positive) observations. If only to refute claims that wine hacks are constipated with the annual Auction, an event shaping up into the highest profile retail jamboree of the calendar.

CWG Auction

CWG Auction

The elevation of Frans K Smit from Spier to the august body confirms that “Independent” will not return to the club’s name anytime soon but begs the question “where the heck is Razvan Macici from Nederburg?” Well done to those elected, but looking at the winners, I can’t help but think membership of the CWG is starting to look like a reward for competition glory with winemakers eschewing the siren calls of shows left knocking on the door. Like Cathy Marshall and Gottfried Mocke, both winemakers who are making seriously good Pinot Noir which is shaping up as the next wave of SA wine fashion now that oxidative Chenin blends are crashing onto the shore of public antipathy.

Cathy almost singlefootedly started the garagiste movement in SA and XX chromosomes are not too abundant in the CWG gene pool. Gottfried is the last Diners Club Winemaker of the Year awarded under the sunny skies of universal acceptance before the dark clouds of manipulation blew in. Even if he looked barely old enough to legally drink the stuff when he won the prize, his Chardonnay remains one of the underrated gems in the Cape. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, is there bias against Burgundy?

Johannesburg wine retail rainmaker Alan Pick calls the CWG “my brand” and admits he would dearly love to see Eben Sadie as member. Eben himself cries off with “I’m just too busy” citing his overseas commitments as well as admitting to a fair amount of control freakery. “I’d have to get really involved. Columella is the best wine I know how to make, so what am I going to make for the CWG?”

But perhaps the biggest missed PR opportunity was not to elect Dirk van der Niepoort. The revolutionary Douro winemaker with a passion for SA would have catapulted the CWG onto the radar screen of a whole new international audience. While he does make wine in SA, he probably wouldn’t attend sufficient Guild tastings, hence breaking the rules. But surely the thing about rules in wine is that they are made to be broken, as Machiavelli would have agreed.