Bacchanalian inflation

Dining at the Troyeville Hotel last night with leading Afrikaans wine writer Emile Joubert, there was only one portion of feijoada left at R59, so we settled on the complimentary soup and garlic rolls. The previous evening, all the food had been free at the Vinimark/WineWorx trade show and it was almost as good. With many icon SA reds closing in on R300 a bottle, I thought it would be fun to compare Vinimark prices back in 2007, a scant three years ago, with Wednesday’s numbers. My findings:

Fearless commentator on SA wine, Emile Joubert

Fearless commentator on SA wine, Emile Joubert

Landskroon Sauvignon Blanc +2%
Vilafonté Series C Bordeaux blend +3%
Veenwouden Classic red blend +7%
Fryers Cover Pinot Noir +8%
Hidden Valley Sauvignon Blanc +13%
Morkel Sauvignon Blanc +16%
Reyneke Organic Sauvignon Blanc +18%
Havana Hills Sauvignon Blanc +21%
L’Avenir Sauvignon Blanc +22%
Goedehoop Sauvignon Blanc +23%
Muratie Pinot Noir +27%
Springfield Sauvignon Blanc +30%
Boekenhoutskloof Chocolate Block red blend +39%
Avondale Chenin Blanc +46%
La Bri Affinity Bordeax blend +46%
Le Riche Cabernet Reserve +51%
Warwick Trilogy Bordeaux blend +55%
Rietvallei Muscadel +358% (this is a mistake – see comments)

Interesting to note that two different red blends with prices set presumably by the same person (Mike Ratcliffe interviewed by Christian Eedes in today’s Wanted supplement of Business Day) are second best and second worst performers, speaking volumes about the relative positioning and fortunes of the Vilafonté and Warwick brands. The Rietvallei anomaly is presumably a correction of historic under-pricing while Landskroon is rightly in first place in my poll, as this estate is top of the Good Value Guru’s list of serially underrated producers.

At a blow-out Ritrovo lunch yesterday with the major opinion formers of SA Wine, Spar supermarkets showcased a taste of the future in the shape of an unwooded Syrah/Grenache blend 2007 from the Rhône. Made from old vines, it will retail under R100 and is one small valve that will keep the lid on the pressure cooker of SA domestic wine prices. With the rand hitting daily fresh highs against major foreign currencies, the heady days of SA wine producers penciling in greedy above inflation price increases, will be of fond memory. A bit like roads without potholes in Jozi.

A spittoon full of SA wine writers in Pretoria yesterday

A spittoon full of SA wine writers in Pretoria yesterday