The weekend’s CWG Auction with sales down 25% beat last month’s Nederburg (up 41%) in one important department: column centimeters of coverage as the bibulous blogosphere erupts like a Supernova. Even deadtree media shook the odd arthritic branch, although Spier owner Dick Enthoven will not be best pleased with the headline on the Business Day site “Recession knocks quarter off Spier sales.” Spier was merely the auction venue and the Spier Merlot 2008 of Frans Smit achieved a respectable average of over R200 a bottle.

David Tullie with the best rated CWG wine which sold for the cheapest average price

But then Katy Chance’s story had more than a couple of schoolgirl howlers, like claiming Kanonkop as “a first time guild member” when it is actually a stalwart and misspelling newbie Andries Burger’s name Berger. But then Andries has lost so much weight, his dashing new Hollywood appearance does make him look like a New Man.

Katy’s claim that “South African wine buyers showed they are still not swayed by overseas approval, as many wines that received 90 points or more (out of 100) by international commentators James Molesworth and Stephen Tanzer fetched significantly lower prices than wines deemed worthy by the local market” is less easily explained away.

A local panel consisting of yours truly, Katy’s Business Day colleague Michael Fridjhon, Christian Eedes, Christine Rudman and Mail&Guardian Cock Screwed columnist Tim James tasted the CWG Auction wines blind last month and our runaway winner was The Yair 2009 white blend made by Nicky Versveld from David Tullie’s Darling grapes which managed to achieve the lowest average price on auction. You can’t invent this material.

This unfortunate truth somewhat undermines the suggestion made by Christian that “independent critics” get involved in the selection of wines for the auction. Or maybe the lesson is to let the famous five choose the wines and then select the ones not chosen as auction fare.