Happy 40th birthday for yesterday, Christian Eedes, former enfant terrible of SA wine writing, now graduated to adulte terrible. As a present, the debate you predicted on the lack of a gold medal for Chenin Blanc at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show last week. Sorry it’s not wrapped!

That there was no Old Mutual golden Chenin is simple: only 48 wines were submitted – probably on account of the embarrassing negative correlation between the show owner and a high profile OM taster at the Chenin Challenge earlier this year, highlighted in postings passim. But if you’re looking for a gold medal Chenin, try the Oldenburg 2010 which won gold at the International Wine Challenge in London today – I know I did.

Oldenburg winemaker Simon Thompson, reprising the role of Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child

Quizzed as to why the wine didn’t rate Old Mutual gold, the answer is a simple one: they did not have enough stock to enter, for they only made 1600 bottles. Enough for Berry Bros. & Rudd who sell the stuff in St. James (the London version, not the wine capital of SA) and self evidently the IWC.

So the debate should perhaps be rather why does Old Mutual have such onerous production requirements for entries? Surely the organizer is making sufficient moolah without stinging producers for samples to showcase to paying punters, many of whom are paying twice via their Old Mutual insurance policies? As any golden goose will tell you, insurance policies are not bought, they are sold. Down the river, in this case, it seems.