“That Jane MacQuitty and me are like this,” I said to my crossed fingers after reading her column in The Times on Saturday, we’re on the same wavelength. “Most medal-winning wines are not worth the accolade,” said Jane. A point I made in the Sunday Times yesterday in my story Seven Memories.

Psychologists confirm that human short term memory can deal with seven pieces of information (plus or minus two) at the same time. Faced with a random selection of thousands of wine brands available on your closest supermarket shelf, what are the seven memories that should be kept handy?

1. 2009 is probably the best vintage for SA wine, ever. From wines at the top of the heap like Peter Finlayson’s Galpin Peak Pinot Noir to huge brands like Two Oceans (Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc for whites, Shiraz and Cabernet/Merlot in the red department) SA wine has never been this good across the board. Nederburg Noble Late Harvest 2009 is arguably the finest dessert wine made by Romanian magician Razvan Macici, and that’s starting from a high base.