The subject may seem a bit gloomy, but in fact there are some positives in this post too. It describes the events that unfolded in Darling the past week while I was in Johannesburg. Tuesday Carel (our red wine maker) and I went to do a tasting in Johannesburg. That same night my Cellarmaster informs me that the hills in Darling is on fire. My first thought ofcourse was: "Snap!, our Onyx Sauvignon blanc is on that mountain, and some Shiraz and Pinotage!". It sounded really bad.
Got back to work today. I was a bit reluctant to go see what the damage was. To my surprise, the damage was minimal, to the vineyards zero. Relieved. The farmers pulled together and stopped the fire in its tracks. I must say, when there is a fire in Darling, the response and reaction from the farmers is amazing. You see true comradeship. (if that is even a word) Here are some pics:
So, the positive to this is the fact the some of the natural vegetation needs fire to germinate seeds. So in fact, this fire cleansed the field from alien species and the natural vegetation can once again thrive.
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