It is often said that a glass of wine can transport the drinker back to the very time and place the grapes were growing. Each grape presents a unique "time capsule" capturing the air, sunshine, rain and energy from the vineyard and the year in which it grew.

Wine connoisseurs can look forward to a rare treat during The Wine Show Joburg, which will be staged at the Gallagher Convention Centre from 29-31 May.

Internationally trained sommelier Jorg Pfutzner will present an exclusive tasting session featuring superlative vintages from around the world from Spain to France, across to Germany and Ukraine and then down to South Africa.

According to show organiser John Woodward, the tasting will let participants travel a hundred years back in time.

"Can you picture going back to 1909 to taste Armagnac from the year Errol Flynn was born? How about savouring an iconic wine from grapes grown in the Ukraine while Hitler's tanks rolled East through Poland in 1939? Maybe a Meursault from 1969, the year Concorde had its first test flight, Richard Nixon entered the White House and the summer of love, which saw the legendary Woodstock Festival? This once-in-a-lifetime event promises to guide the audience to some of the most auspicious dates in our recent history," explains Woodward.

Aptly called 'The Whole Nine Yards', the tasting will be a virtual journey through the world of wine during the past century.

According to Pfutzner, the tasting celebrates the significance of the number 9 in winemaking history.

"During extensive research I have discovered that this auspicious number has consistently been a good omen as almost all of the vintages, which ended in nine, are deemed quite remarkable. For centuries, the number has achieved an ancient mystery and is widely considered to represent harmony and aspiration. With it being 2009, we decided to compile a list of nine really exceptional wines from top producers around the world and place them in context of history. Vintages date back as far as 1909 and also include a wine produced during the legendary 1919 vintage," explains Pfutzner.

Show organiser John Woodward describes the tasting as a supremely rare opportunity for wine and history lovers alike.

"How often does anyone get the chance to taste the exact same wines likely to have been on the list at Al Capone's favourite haunts or the exact Burgundies Wall Street tycoons would have been crying into during the Great Crash? It is a unique chance for South African wine lovers to enjoy arguably some of the most dynamic wines in the world," mentions Woodward.

The wines included in this exclusive tasting span the globe with high profile labels from France, Spain, Germany, Ukraine and South Africa.

The tasting will start off with a classic 1999 Louis Roederer Cristal champagne. he various French wine appellations are strongly represented in the exquisite line-up with a 1949 Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Huet from the French Loire Valley, the iconic 1919 Corton Hotel St Petersburg from Burgundy as well as a 1969 Meursault Charmes Leroy Pinot Noir from the Bourgogne region and a 1929 Cos d'Estournel from Bordeaux.

Germany is represented by a 1979 Dr Loosen Riesling, while South Africa makes a proud entrance with the 1989 Kanonkop Pinotage. A 1959 Marques de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay was selected to represent this renowned Spanish wine region while the 1939 Massandra Gurzuf Rose Muscat from the Ukraine completes the line-up. A 1909 Armagnac will be served as the grand finale to this journey through time and wine.

The Whole Nine Yards will be presented in the Wine Theatre on Friday, 29 May, at 7pm. Tickets cost R8900 per person (VAT inclusive) and include full weekend passes to The Wine Show. Numbers are limited and booking is essential. For bookings and more information, e-mail natalie@wineshow.co.za. Tickets for this exclusive tasting are not available via Computicket.

Show tickets are available at the door for R95 per person or from Computicket for R90 per person. Weekend passes are available at R140/person. Secure parking available.

For more information, visit www.wineshow.co.za