‘Pendock Uncorked’ Times Live blog corked, blanked out!

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Pendock Times Live Whale Cottage PortfolioSouth Africa’s leading independent drinks commentator‘ is no more, the ‘Pendock Uncorked’ blog on the Times Live (owned by the Sunday Times) platform having been blanked out, after a week long wine web war about the lowest-of- low loathed Pendock has reached in lashing out at all and sundry in the wine industry.

A week ago Pieter de Waal, (former?) Secretary of the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group, wrote a widely-distributed e-mail to explain his side of the story to counter persistent Pendock’s attacks on him re the recent FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc 2013 judging.  De Waal provided the e-mail addresses of Reuben Goldberg and Derek Abdinor at the Sunday Times, and encouraged others to write to them and to share what they think of Pendock’s wine business bashing. We must have been one of many sending them e-mails of complaint, and requesting that Pendock’s posts be removed.  Not responding to any complainants at all, the powers that be at the Sunday Times took action silently, having disallowed any new blogposts by Pendock to be added to his Times Live blog from 10 October onwards, and from yesterday onwards removing all past content of these blogposts, only retaining the first paragraph of his last ‘Pendock Uncorked’ blogpost ‘Beaverbrook of Botrivier‘, in which we are referred to, remaining as a last reminder of pathetic Pendock’s alliterative altercations.

Now that action has been taken by the Sunday Times,  three issues remain:

*   what do wine tasting, wine judging, wine event, and wine competition organisers do now?  Is Pendock a persona non grata at such events from now onwards?  Does it help to ban him, given that he appears well connected, always able to obtain some inside information, whether he attended or not (and making up some along the way anyway!)?  Will he retaliate on his personal blog if he is not invited, and lash out at one’s clients and sponsors, as he has been seen to do?  Will fellow wine writers want to be in the same venue as Pendock, given that he has bashed most of them?  Could one see wine writers refuse to attend if they know Pendock will be there?

*   what will Spar do with its Wine Fundis wine customer guide, given that polemic Pendock serves on its panel?   Will any brand want to associate itself with the most hated person in the wine industry?  Will judges want to serve on a judging panel if Pendock is present?

*   one wonders what The Taj hotel will do with the petite Pendock Wine Gallery, which does not appear to be delivering feet into their Mint restaurant, as Pendock promised.  Its association with Pendock is giving it a bad name. Pendock has posted their logo on his new personal blog, making it appear as if the hotel is endorsing the blog bombing bullying blogposts into the interwebs.  The current ‘Ostrich October’ wine ‘exhibitors’ Nuweland, Orangerie, and Babylon’s Peak must be regretting having been picked by Pendock.

Tim James of Grape blog, himself a ‘Pindick‘ prey, has written another excellent Pendock post, this time explaining what has happened (or not) to Pendock’s publicised proxy Platter’s Wine Guide, which never saw the light of day, another Pendock business backfire!

Not usually known for his lack of originality, vulgar Pendock has stooped to copy-and-paste ‘journalism’ in his Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year 2013 blogpost,  joining his sole mate ‘advertorialist‘ Michael Oliver!   The media release from African Sky Communications, which a number of us received, lists the six finalists, and a description of their wines, which unprincipled Pendock has copy-and-pasted into his blogpost without acknowledgement to the PR company. Finding the writing in their media release good enough to copy, he calls for the company to be fired!  To echo the headline of his blogpost: Pendock ‘please vacate the stage’!

One wonders where the Pendock Comedy Club will go, being the focus of many hours of droll debate and discussion!

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Twitter: @WhaleCottage

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