The Douro was the first wine appellation in the world to be recognized and the innovations just don’t stop: on Thursday David Eley’s awesome artistic map of its terroir was launched at the six star Yeatman Hotel in Porto. Sources relate it was a great success with Bruno Prats (of Anwilka fame) and Salvador Guedes in attendance.

Rather than waste money on braai books and business class jollies for marketers, SA exporters should hire Strijdom van der Merwe to do the same for Stellenbosch. The Swartland Counter-Revolution is seeking to open negotiations with Gerhard Marx to produce a Paardeberg Projection. Gerhard’s cartographically styled images are so kif, they were ripped off by BMW’s ad agency. For more on how Portugal gets it so right while SA gets it so wrong, see my column in today’s Sunday Times.