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South African wines are going through a sticky patch in Ireland, but the best are still available here, writes JOHN WILSON

SOUTH AFRICA continues to go through a difficult patch in Ireland, possibly due to a lack of marketing. I understand the specialist South African Vaughan Johnson shop in Temple Bar has closed. However, it seems that half of Ireland now imports the wines directly, following an annual winter holiday in the Cape. I have lost count of the number of dinner guests who quietly confide that they have shipped over a pallet for “drinking at home and for a few friends”. It is invariably followed up by the comment: “We don’t get the best wines over here.”