“Sisters, are doing it for themselves” sings Annie Lennox in Sea Point as she steps out with her new beau, Cape Town gynecologist Mitch Besser. Confirming that the homogametic sex, who control over $20 trillion in consumer spending (about 70% of the global total) are quite capable of choosing their own tipples. This was the thinking behind the revolutionary new wine competition 100 Women, 100 Wines that will bring 100 women from around the country to the luxury V&A Hotel on the Waterfront in late August to choose 100 wines.

Producers love the new competition as there is no entry fee and the ladies come from all cultural classes in the main population centres, confirming WOSA’s mantra that “variety is in our nature.” Which is clearly not the case with the status quo that chooses wines in the current cacophony of wine competitions. Competitions that all too often soak producers via swingeing entry fees and tasting samples galore that are then sold to airlines and poured for punters who pay for the privilege. TV channel CNBC get the message and will be filming the selection process, offering participating producers international exposure, for free.

In the USA, women make 93% of food purchases which means their opinions about wine choices are crucial. On Tuesday, Business Day quoted US Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke: “because women engage in more of the family shopping, they are consistently aware of price changes and inflation.”

100 Women, 100 Wines will be the second SA competition in which price plays a role in choice, as it does in real life. WINE magazine’s Best Value Guide, which will continue publication under the Getaway banner once the mother ship gives up the ghost in September, also take price into account but by charging entry fees and using a panel of pundits to make the choices rather than consumers who drink the stuff, has sacrificed believability for short term financial gain. It’s a testosterone thing.