Koue Bokkeveld Kalamity

Well the headlines in the Cape Times today have done for my chances of winning the SA Wine Writers Prize – the real one (Du Toitskloof) and not the Franschhoek Fiasco that was not awarded this year thanks to inappropriate interference from a rogue judge John Mayhem.  “Hailstorm wipes out Cape’s fruit crop” said the paper with the Witzenberg, Ceres and Koue Bokkeveld affected.  Typical. The Koue Bokkeveld was my suggestion for the salvation of Cape Wine when traditional vineyards got to hot thanks to global warming.  I hadn’t counted on hail.

hail

Although no mention is made of grapes in the doomsday report, hail in the Witzenberg is bad news for Pinot producers as some of the best wines come from this new appellation and the Ceres Plateau.  What a cruel twist of fate to have a promising wine region laid low by hail before it even gets off the ground.  Still it is ironic proof of my hypothesis that the Koue Bokkeveld can become Burgundy in the Boland as Burgundy itself has suffered hail disasters this year.