Somehow lost in the uproar and legal challenges swirling around the Top 100 SA Wine extravaganza came the arrival of a fruity new voice in the SA wine chorus last month. Robin von Holdt popped up faster than a Jonkershoek porchini as columnist for Finweek and Fin24.com, with frenzied whispers “is he any relation to the queen of steen, Irina von Holdt?” reverberating around the spittoon.

Robin von Holdt, a new voice in SA wine

With wine columns disappearing faster than support for Muammar Gaddafi, Finweek climbing onto the bandwagon is to be welcomed just as banks jettison wine show sponsorship as the penny drops in the nervous PR department that back slapping awards lunches at larney hotels do not play well with trade union members being retrenched in their droves as banks battle to cut costs.

The quid pro quo seems to be the magazine partnering Robin in his Top 100 SA Wine endeavour and as the e-mail from the splendidly Oirishly named Cian Mac Eochaidh vouchsafed “As a proud partner of the Top 100 SA Wines, Finweek and Fin24 will be involved as media partners in a number of wine industry events, public, private and corporate tastings.”

In his maiden column, Robin unveils himself a little “my friends are winemakers. I import and export wine; I own a hotel and a bistro. Now, too, a fine wine promotions company.” Which sounds a bit like the CV of Johannesburg’s leading vintrepreneur, so success is probably assured. Although quite why he’s brought a Top 100 Wine extravaganza to market given his past experience, remains a mystery.

For Robin recollects “I arrived in London in 1997 with 50 cases of our best SA red wines. They were all from great vintages and enjoyed impeccable storage provenance. These wines were our crème – Grangehurst, Kanonkop, Le Bonheur, Meerlust, Neil Ellis, Rustenberg, Rust en Vrede, Vriesenhof, Veenwouden, Warwick and others.” A Top 100 of its time, in fact.

“My cunning plan was to sell half, allowing me to bankroll a start to acquiring a little European cellar of wines. I gave up after a month. Why? Simply put, no takers. Not a single one, regardless of price, despite numerous calls and emails to wine buyers.”

Which begs the question: “exactly what has changed in the interim that should make UK punters embrace the top end of SA wine, this time round?”