I was invited to Scotland recently to report on 2010 as the Year of Food and Drink. You may well think that every day of every year in this land of fine whisky and cuisine is an occasion to celebrate good food and drink. Curiosity aroused, I went all the way north to participate in the celebrations - and experience first-hand the new food and drink brand which aims to promote Scotland as a global culinary destination. South Africa could emulate this simple destination marketing campaign in the Cape. Glasgow and surrounds is one of the surprising epicurean epicentres of the campaign. I spent a few delightful days eating my way through its fine dining scene. A revival which started when it was declared European city of culture (for its amazing Victorian and art nouveau architecture, café scene and museums) has transformed the city once billed as "the second city of the empire" (after London) - with an ongoing facelift underway to prepare the city which will host the next Commonwealth Games in 2014. Wine-spotting brand SA, I was pleasantly surprised to notice the increased presence of top-end Cape wines on on-trade wine-lists in the UK. Train-spotting I was served Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc and Gamay Noir as house wines on first-class on Virgin rail between London and Glasgow - after sampling Newton Johnson Sauvignon Blanc and De Wetshof Chardonnay in the business lounge at Heathrow. So far, so good. While doing eggs Alba at Café Gandolfi, a culinary landmark in the old merchant quarter of Glasgow, I was amazed to hear Andrew Gunn of Iona was presenting a food and wine dinner the next day. Talk about serendipity. I was in the right place at the right time. In the Café Gandolfi cookbook, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain describes Glasgow as "maybe the most bullshit-free place in the world - the antidote to the rest of the world". Chef-patron Seamus MacInnes adds, "We sometimes forget, with typical Scottish modesty, what a tremendous culture of good food we possess". But I spotted the biggest South African wine category on the 1500-label wine-list at Ubiquitous Chip on restaurant row in the trendy west end of Glasgow. The restaurant - named ironically after the eponymous chip which is never on their menu - is celebrating forty years of good food and drink. After perusing a menu which showcases Scottish seafood like crab, langoustines, salmon, scallops and peat smoked haddock, I studied a fine selection of Cape labels including Hamilton Russell, Iona, Raats (a house wine), Mulderbosch, Spice Route and Cloof. The prices ran from £17 for Raats Chardonnay to £44 for Warwick Trilogy and £60 for HRV Pinot Noir. The sommelier had gone to a lot of trouble to make up the wine-list with pithy notes to each country category - "The rate of change in South African winemaking since apartheid carries on, focusing on international grape varieties - with better winemaking techniques more suited to the country's diverse growing conditions." My week of food and drink continued over dinner at The Bothy, an old culinary landmark in the west end of Glasgow. Whisky sommelier Roddy Graham led a food and whisky pairing which focused on matching the weight, style and intensity of whiskies from different regions to the flavours of Scottish fare from crayfish and salmon to wild mushroom risotto, haggis and neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes). "It's an experimental science" he concluded, "The pairings combine to create a desirable whole greater than the sum of the parts. There's a big trend to matching whisky with spicy food. Your favourite whisky is often the one in front of you!" On the visibility of South African wine in Scotland, Roddy (who works a day-job at Oddbins), says "We just can't get enough of Boekenhoutskloof Semillon and Chocolate Block. Mulderbosch and Waterford also sell well - especially The Jem". Along with distillery visits to Glengoyne and Arran Island, a long lunch and cookery demonstration at The Sisters was one of the highlights of my big eat. Over a fabulous feast of peat-smoked haddock risotto, scallop ceviche (marinated in Tobermory whisky) and Cullen skink (a local fish soup), I even spotted a Cape "Veldt" Chenin Blanc on the wine list. Chef-patron Jacqueline O'Donnell (of the two cooking sisters), declared, "I love matching whisky and food. We have such a good larder in Scotland - the best ingredients in the world. We take pride in offering in a real taste of Scotland." I also dined at Source, a restaurant which displays a map of the provenance of every main ingredient. Like wine of origin which conveys a story about its source, the provenance of good food plays a major role in promoting culinary culture. Building a gastronomic destination by showcasing Scottish produce to tourists is one of the primary goals of the year of food and drink tourism campaign - which has developed a special logo to identify restaurants which use local produce. The event organisers emphasise, "As one of Scotland's most distinct attributes, food and drink has played, and continues to play, a strong role in shaping our cultural identity and heritage." (All inspiring food for thought for gastronomic tourism marketing of the Cape winelands.) We followed in the footsteps of Glaswegian comic Billy Connolly and a who's who of celebrities like Michael Palin to Red Onion, a popular contemporary restaurant run by John Quigley - a chef who spent years on the road cooking for Brian Adams. The rock 'n roll chef explained, "It's about making Scotland a food destination like Thailand. The core of Scottish cuisine is its wonderful larder. I like to combine the natural flavours of Scottish ingredients with dishes that are 'out there' (try his sublime shellfish tempura). Tourism and the recession are changing the dining scene. My personal taste has got more homely" (evident in his amazing haddock fish cakes). If you're sceptical about the sex appeal of Scottish cuisine, consider the fact that fourteen Scottish restaurants have Michelin stars - led by Martin Wishart at Cameron House on Loch Lomond. While staying at this five-star hotel, we dined on a six-course degustation menu which showcased Scottish produce - and the art of Wishart who trained under Marco Pierre White and Albert and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche. Over a bottle of house bubbly - Ruinart (the oldest champagne house in the world) - I wrote down Martin's mantra "If you can't drink it, don't cook with it!" I spotted Kloovenburg Shiraz (no snitch at £38) and Cape Saam Mountain Chenin Blanc on the wine list - before sitting down to one of the finest meals of my year of food and drink. But that story will have to wait for another day - as my text runneth over length yet again. * For more information, contact Visit Britain in SA at 011 575 6817 - or see www.visitbritain.com , www.visitscotland.com, www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org and www.eatscotland.com Photos by David Gordon