That brandy is coming in to bat at the country’s top wine competition is overdue. Let the gold shine in the matches.

Local brandy, as the spunky SA Brandy Foundation often reminds us (sometimes in curious fashion), is smart stuff. It also has a history that runs deep and ahead of our wine culture. (Many South African wine regions of note these days were brandy-grape outposts in yonder years.)

Of course, there is a quirky paradox in that ‘dop-en-dam’ (brandy and water, as if you didn’t know) and, more recently, ‘klippies-&-coke (self-explanatory) have, for most of the colonial era and since, been the majority’s libation of choice. Meanwhile, the more, well, fancy sipped exquisite, pot-stilled offerings (or real cognac).

The last decade or so have seen local boutique-style brandies walk off with many an international accolade. And they’re getting even better, offer splendid value and have a devoted following.

If South Africa’s premium brandies rate among the finest in the world, it’s not only because we’re told that. The top versions reflect not only local craftsmanship, but that rare thing: origin - a sense of place and the one factor that defines all of the world’s great spirits.

Brandy culture is part and parcel of our past and present lifestyle and culture. Unlike other alcoholic spirits, it is closely linked to the wine industry. (Think fortified muscadel, for one.) So this acknowledgement, for the first time, as player in the 20 years of the Veritas competition, is a late entry. After more than 350 years of wine (and brandy) making in the Cape, it’s time for the big game to begin.

Veritas will, under Dave Hughes’ expertise, judge various categories: standard, vintage and pot still. Watch out for the golds.