Let’s talk football. My father-in-law, whose construction company is just in the final phase of completion of the impressive new Cape Town stadium, built to host several World Cup matches next June, sent me the following text the morning after England’s recent annihilation of Croatia - the same evening as the Scots exited the competition:

On TV tonight, World Cup preview. Except for viewers in Scotland, where the classic film ‘Out of Africa’ will be shown.

So unless, of course, you are reading this Report north of the Border, you will already appreciate the enormous potential for the promotion of South African wine in the lead up to the World Cup finals next June - and what better way of capitalising on this by starting to think about your existing selection? Cynics amongst you might be thinking ‘What does quality South African wine have to do with the general loutish behaviour of your average football fan?’ But this is not just about football; it’s about the wider cultural interests that the World Cup will generate, and for South Africa, it’s the greatest sporting showcase the country has seen since the Rugby World Cup in 1995 - or will ever see again. Then, unlike now, South Africa was a long way off linking the potential opportunities a major sporting might present with general winemaking competence (and confidence) in the way the Australians might have (once) done.

Last year, I wrote of the grief that the Australian wine industry has bought upon itself, and about the gloom of buying wine in the Euro zone, where the ‘Brown Pound’ is now held with about the same international esteem as the Zimbabwe Dollar. I also wrote about New Zealand, which has since elected to go the same route as Australia with its systematic devaluation of its greatest asset, Sauvignon Blanc, as desperate growers break ranks and create a price war between the major high street players and the supermarkets. Will New Zealand ever recover from this short-sighted strategy, I wonder?

And so I come back to the main topic. Everything we buy from the Cape is purchased in Pounds Sterling - there is no currency fluctuation, only price stability – and with a great vintage in the cellar (Eben Sadie thinks his 2009 is the greatest ever), interest in South African wine can only go one way. Couple this with the general dearth of good vintages generally available in the classic regions of France at the moment; if there’s nothing to satisfy customer demand for decent wine (both red and white) out of the Rhône in the 2008 vintage, why not direct them to the Cape? We have the wines - you’ll find them listed in the Offer below - and at sensible pricing. For those of you who are still sceptical, or who remain unconvinced, you will find these wines available for tasting at the bi-annual Wines of South Africa ‘Mega Tasting’ at Earls Court on the Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th October.

I should also point out that we will be pouring, on our stand, four out of the 41 wines awarded a Five Star rating in the 2010 John Platter Wine Guide. For a publication to have been, up until now, so parsimonious with dishing out Five Stars, it’s nice to see Platter finally recognise that South Africa might have so many World Class Wines. But has it selected the right 41? Come to the WOSA ‘Mega Tasting’ and decide for yourself…

Richard Kelley MW