Wine papsak is king at OppiKoppi

This column is dedicated to the thousands of South Africans who will face a tough choice this week. The myriad of countrymen and women who will stand in long lines, perhaps in the freezing cold; this column is for everybody who will squabble with friends when explaining their choices, the ones who might make an unpopular decision, and the ones who will make a split-second call before reaching the end of the line … to buy their drinks for OppiKoppi.

If you’re on the fence about which political party gets your vote tomorrow, picking drinks for one of the largest music festivals in the country will be the second tough choice you make this week. After all, not many festivals allow you to take your own drinks. You’ll need to be on budget and to consider quantity and quality – and that your libation of choice decants easily into plastic bottles (no glass or tin allowed in the festival area).

1. A case of beer is best consumed at the campsite. Decanting beer into plastic turns it into a vile, flat drink.

2. Wine papsak is king at OppiKoppi. If you’re a bit of an oenophile, there are some great boxed wine blends. Woolworths’ Longmarket range is especially worth your consideration. It’s affordable and quite deft. If you like good red wine, Longmarket Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot will hit the right spots.

3. Spirits, whiskeys, brandies and clear spirits are versatile and perhaps the best choice for OppiKoppi. Spirits can be served as a shooter, used as the base of a punch or mixed into 2l soft drinks.

But please don’t go to OppiKoppi to drink. Go for the music.