So Aussie mining engineer Mark Cutifani has taken the jackhammer to Anglo American and all that is left are diamonds, platinum, copper and wine in the shape of Vergelegen, that grove of camphor trees with a small holding attached in Somerset West. Notice the odd one out? Are the “for sale” being hastily erected outside the subterranean winery?

Mark is no hairy-assed miner of the Mark Bristow (Rand Gold Resources) school – he takes his executives to the Vatican to seek guidance from the Pope. Judging by the recent relative share price performance of the two companies, its not only the best lines that the devil gets.

Of course Mark could hardly sell the venue for the grand dinner of the Mining Indaba before it was held. But that was last week and a wine asset must be decidedly out of favour in the boardroom of a mining giant fallen on hard times.

What was interesting was the incredibly petty coverage of Anglo in the Financial Times last weekend. Concerned more about former chairman Julian Ogilvie Thompson trimming his fingernails in board meetings than pinning the blame for the largest disaster – the sale of AngloGoldAshanti at the bottom of the market by previous CEO Cynthia Carroll in 2009. Or the billions she blew on Pebble Bay in Alaska with another enraged North American, Sarah Palin.

Cynthia was a great supporter of Vergelegen which must be the final nail in the coffin of the historic estate. The future of the farm is vital to SA wine for at least five reasons:

1) It is home to Andre van Rensburg, arguably the best winemaker in SA;
2) It was founded by one of the biggest crooks of them all, Willem Adriaan van der Stel, and in modern day SA where Willem Adriaan’s spirit rules, it would be a bad omen for tenderpreneurs if the estate was to end up as respectable as Groot Constantia;
3) The sale of sister estate Boschendal was a total disaster starring Brett Kebble, the ANC Youth League, Gary Player and shady Zimbabwean investors;
4) Schaapenberg grows grapes for the best white wine made in SA; even Dear Angela, self styled Dowager Countess of Claremont, likes it to such an extent she determines the guest list at vertical tastings;
5) HRH Brenda, Queen of England (like Angela without the saggy tracksuit bottoms), approves of the rose garden.