As much as we like our wine, we’re here for the design rather than the delicious liquid creations of the Maison Estate in South Africa’s Valley of the Huguenots. So before we sneak off to sample the fruit of owner Chris Weylandt’s vines, we’ll tell you a bit about his outstanding premises. We’ll be good for nothing later because to be honest we only pretend to spit the wine back out.

Like a freshly-cleansed palate, the interior of Maison Estate on Chris’s Franschhoek farm is white, white to the point of snow-blindness, allowing every detail, every object to pop on the visual tastebuds. Ceiling, walls, floors – there are even clear perspex tasting chairs in the restaurant, called The Kitchen, to amplify the effect. What you can see is a collection of neutral items which stand out despite their modest palletes. Unvarnished furniture, logs and brown pottery follow the natural, rustic feel of the place, with perhaps the most colour coming from the hanging green wine bottles, and of course the red of the Shiraz grapes yet to be tasted. Bring them on…