Calling your association for the advancement of Riesling, Just Riesling, could be interpreted as being a tad reactionary. While some might say it’s a cunning plan to appropriate the initials JR shared by the three rainmakers of SA wine (Constellation’s James Reid, purple pager Jancis Robinson and king of luxury Johann Rupert), others say it’s to make the point that it’s not Crouchen Blanc, just Riesling. But I would say its following in the footsteps of the most famous residence of Simon’s Town, Just Nuisance, a Great Dane, who has his own look-alike competition held in the seaside town every April 1. A real dog show.

Neither was it cultural cringe that saw the inaugural competition be held in London, judged by three English roses (out of eight invited judges): Angela, Fiona and Julia, Miss Havishams of Hedonism all, but rather a desire to drop SA Riesling onto the international stage without breaking it. The result was a Boland Beauty: De Wetshof 2009 from deepest Robertson, placed first among 16 entries in the dry category. But how strange that the competition was not held in Cape Town, as some of Riesling’s serious heavy hitters were in town to celebrate the first birthday of the One&Only with Jörg Pfützner.

That’s Peter de Wet above, peering around a bottle of dad Danie’s 1981 earlier this month, made before he was born, no doubt. A wine of Large Hadron Collider complexity with 30% of the grapes infected with botrytis, this being the vintage of the Laingsburg floods. A disaster marketing manager Bennie Stipp (right) still seems to be mourning. For the full potential of the 2009, punters are advised to lay in stock and return to London in 30 years.

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