Until SA Touriga Nacional comes seriously on stream, lovers of suckling pig, such as the interpretation from Rudi Liebenberg below, have a brilliant stand-in for wine pairing in the shape of the Rietvallei JMB Cabernet Franc 2011. A match made in Mealhada for leitão. Although while I am transfixed by Rudi’s grits, I’m not prepared to pay R1850 to dine at Cape Town International Airport at the Eat Out Awards on Sunday. Thunder City, site 10. Really! Chunder City more likely with more !!! than a flatulent whale.

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The Franc is a wine of puissance – power and elegance – which is what you need with leitão and at lunch today Kobus Burger showed us some rof Robertson moves at the Planet chef’s table at the Mount Nelson to give Banghoek a skrik. Oldenburg do a seriously restrained Franc from the Caspar appellation but Kobus shows that Robertson has a different, more fruit driven, approach to the great grape of Touraine.

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Franc is the feminine side of Cabernet and Kobus has a trio of beautiful ladies in his life: daughters Este and Annie and wife Elizabeth (below) who hails from Gobabis in Namibia where Jean Engelbrecht farms cattle. Jean owns Rust en Vrede, or RV as he abbreviates it. The same abbreviation Kobus uses for Rietvallei.

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Another great RV wine is dedicated to dad Johnny: father, mentor and friend it movingly says on the label. The 2014 JMB Chardonnay is elegance in a white velvet glove. A wine which landed a knock out blow to the Platter glass chin as Kobus no longer submits wines to be “judged” sighted by the guide which is owned by Standard Bank. “I do not agree with their ratings” says Kobus simply and honestly and when the Chardonnay du Monde puts your wine in the top six in the world (and the only one from SA) as it did last year, what use is ***1/2 from Platter?

So how ironic that Platter eminence grise Boekenhoutskloof Big Stool and Diners Club director Reg Lascaris buys his Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc juice from Kobus. Of course Porcupine has no problems piling up the stars as Platter assessment is made sighted and everyone knows Reg rules the roost at the guide. Nice one, Standard Bank, nice one!

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After two months of tasting Orange River Muscadels, what a pleasure to enjoy Rietvallei 1908 from the 2011 vintage, a totally different interpretation of raisinosity and perfect with peach Melba. Lets hope Eat Out uses some of their loot to buy bottles for the fireworks on Sunday at Chunder City.