Great for quantity but not so good for quality, as fruit hang-time, essential for flavour complexity, is necessarily shortened.

Other winemakers, such as Jeff Grier from Stellenbosch producer Villiera, manage to fit two vintages in by managing vineyards in the northern as well as southern hemispheres.

Domaine Grier consists of 25ha of vineyards in Roussillon, southwestern France, and Grier was showcasing his bi-continental wines at last month's Stellenbosch Wine Festival.

Grier's Villiera Tradition Brut NV Méthode Cap Classique is a benchmark for SA "champagnes", which are traditionally blends of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier from northeastern France. Meunier is replaced by pinotage at Villiera and R80 buys you a bubbly with a fresh, yeasty nose.

By way of contrast, the Grier Brut NV is 50% more expensive. A blend of chardonnay, macabeu and carignan, it has very little in common with the Villiera in the taste department. There is the earthiness of a Spanish cava and a much drier finish.

Mediterranean seafood restaurants are the main markets for the Domaine Grier single varietal macabeu white with its flavours of spicy aniseed and a dry, grippy finish. Once again, it is 10000km away in both taste and geography from the benchmark Villiera chenin blanc, a big and oily bruiser with lashings of honey and nuts. Good value at R35 a bottle, there is no value contest, as the macabeu goes for R50.

Shiraz is a different story. At R90 a bottle, the Domaine Grier syrah is worth the 50% premium over the Villiera shiraz for its impressive tannin structure.

Shiraz is typically made in two styles: sunshine in a bottle from Australia and spicy mineral from the Northern Rhône. Villiera is somewhere between the two extremes, with ripe fruit, soft tannins and some spice.

When it comes to red blends, the grenache, syrah and mourvèdre Domain Grier is a serious statement wine, quite heavy (15% alcohol) with an almost porty richness from old-vine syrah. By way of contrast, the merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc Villiera blend has a wonderfully perfumed nose but too much exuberant fruit on the palate for a seriously austere Bordeaux-style blend.

Grier has used his two distinct terroirs to produce two distinct ranges of wines that find favour with SA consumers, as 25% of his 12 000 case Domaine Grier production is sold in SA.

As for prices, Grier reckons SA consumers are spoilt. "In France, retailers double the price, while in SA, a more modest 35% mark-up applies." But when it comes to restaurants, triple the cost price is the norm.

. Read Pendock Uncorked at http://blogs.thetimes.co.za/pendock