The gravitational attraction of Eben Sadie was confirmed when Concours Mondial judge and editor of Winelands magazine announced he was off to Leiden in the Netherlands to see Eben rather than visit the Pandas with dirty bottoms and taste Moutai on Saturday night.

Four hours on the train to spend three at the foot of a guru sounds like a good deal for our Siddhartha of Sipping although Eben is far more accessible than most wine gods. Indeed his trip with old vine guru Rosa Kruger was his first one overseas in 30 months.

Eben makes wines the exact opposite of those submitted to the Concours as celebrity and the X-factor has no effect in blind tastings when you’re not even told the country or cultivar in the glass. Perhaps a competition for celebrity wine has legs. Tasted sighted (of course) with price, rarity and fashionability all factors. Kim Kardashian could play Jancis Robinson and Justin Bieber the part of Robert Parker. It would shift a heck of a lot more bottles.