2010 is turning out to be a comet vintage in the Stellenboschkloof – for lawyers. First brief was to defend farms against a mineral exploration application from a shadowy government quango seeking to explore for lithium to keep members of the Shoot the Boer band aka the ANC Youth League on an even mental keel. Or even in tune. When the lithium fizzled out there’s was always the Cape High Court case stopping Lovane from using the Jordan chameleon as logo although m’lud did say they could keep on using the word Lovane which is close to the Xhosa word ulovane or chameleon. Guess that’s until Afrikaans singer Chris Chameleon decides to release his own wine like the Parlotones did. Perhaps made by Lovane?

Not being an insect swot, I thought Elgin Vintners were taking a chance calling their Bordeaux blend Agama and promoting it with a bloukopkoggelmander sitting on the bottle. To the untrained eye, it could looks like a colour-blind verkleurmannetjie and another potential payday for the Stellenboschkloof branch of Messrs. Sue, Grabbit & Runne.

But what is all this rush to use a chameleon as a wine brand anyway? I’d have though the opposite after all those gory stories of chameleons getting caught in the mechanical harvester and disappearing into the wine vats. Beyers Truter’s têkkies in a tank of Pinotage are one thing, but best leave the eye of newt and toe of frog and other familiars to the witches of Macbeth.