Last night’s tasting of Stellenbosch Cabernets at the One & Only was a masterclass in the cultivar California and South Africa have appropriated and are increasingly making their own as Bordeaux struggles with a run of weak vintages and greedy accountants hiking prices at every turn.

Three wines stood out. The Le Riche 2005 from the master, Etienne. The Zonnebloem 2009 which costs all of R138 a bottle – or three cases for a single bottle of the Laurence Graff Reserve 2011 – and the Three Pines 2011 from Jose Conde, a masterclass in bright fruit. This is a new direction for Cabernet in the Cape and one which takes no prisoners. The Three Pines is a modern masterpiece.

Praisy Dlamini presented the Zonnebloem with humility and competence while Jose rushed to the defense of Petit Verdot after some negative comments from other winemakers. It is the 5% secret ingredient he adds to his Cab which transforms it into an international superstar with notes of crushed violets, adding another dimension to the wine.