Andrew Catchpole reviews this year's WOSA Mega Tasting

This year's WOSA Mega Tasting behind the art deco façade of Earl's Court Exhibition Hall was a calm and focused affair, perhaps reflecting the country's cautious optimism as it approaches the FIFA World Cup year. Better cautious than over-confident though, especially as 2009 has proved a good to great vintage for reds and whites alike and so the wines did much of the talking.

The 2009 whites were the visible yardstick to the recent vintage with many Sauvignons and Chenins showing well even at this early date.

Wines as geographically diverse as Klein Constantia's elegant yet intense Sauvignon Blanc (DGB), Iona's ripe and minerally example from Elgin (Enotria), Springfield's bursting fresh Robertson Special Cuvee (Bibendum), and the grassy-ripe Southern Right Sauvignon from Walker Bay (Hallgarten) all showed a great balance of ripe fruit, good mouthfeel and pert acidity. Similarly, the complex, intense Raats Chenin (Alliance), Flagstone's almost lusciously ripe yet zingily fresh Noon Gun Chenin/Viognier/Sauvignon blend (Constellation) and Kleine Zalze's layered, rich Vineyard Selection Barrel Fermented Chenin (Matthew Clark) all pointed to a well-balanced, intensely textured vintage.

Elsewhere, the Platter table offered rich pickings among a who's who of SA's celebrated producers, with the spicy depths of Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2007 (Raisin Social), Kanonkop's brooding, intense 2006 Paul Sauer Cabernet (Raisin Social) and the aromatic, savoury, minerally Sadie Family 2007 Columella Shiraz/Mourvedre (Richards Walford) blend among many deserving five star red wines.

Random tasting around the room also unearthed some intriguing finds, such as aromatic, tightly woven 2009 Gewurztraminer from Neethlingshof (Distell) plus a sublime example from Elgin Pinot Noir maestro Paul Cluver (Seckford), showing elegant, floral-edged, quince and gentle spice-lined fruit. The varietal purity of Cluver's '08 Pinot Noir and darker, more intensely layered '08 Seven Flags Pinot Noir also deserve warm mention.

A couple of new wines that caught the palate came from the premium ranges of bigger players, including Spier's small volume Creative Block releases (PLB), which tie into a community arts project. Creative Block 2 2009 Sauvignon/Semillon showed great fruit balanced by a fine minerally lick of acidity, while Bellingham's Barnard Series (DGB) came up trumps with a 100% Rousanne, again showing how well a plethora of Rhône varieties are adapting to South African climate and soils.

• Sommeliers