The rhythm of the vine

Traveling from Cape Town to Bonnievale, the signs are there that we are in autumn. In the valleys, the grape harvest is in full swing. In the wine producing towns and regions of Rawsonville, Aan de Doorns, Nuy, Rooiberg, Robertson and Bonnievale, the roads are stained with grape juice. Juice runs from tractor drawn trailers as they wend their way to the cellars. 

Everywhere you look, there are grapes and more grapes. The valleys have a different energy and the vineyards are alive with activity. In the Rawsonville valley, some of the vineyards are turning autumn red.

Bunches of grapes hang full and ripe. They hang in golden to deep red colours in vineyards yet to be harvested.

Bonnievale church steeple visible in the vineyards

The town of Bonnievale nestles idyllically among the vineyards. Evening walks are taken through vineyards along juice-stained roads. The intensity of the harvest is not experienced over weekends. The vineyards are peaceful then. Flocks of Guinea fowl scratch between rows and rows of vines in search of a morsel.

The fowl resemble a family on a Sunday outing as they meander through the vineyards. They meander with laidback meals and a few squabbles between them. Two Guinea fowl chase each other at breakneck speed through the vineyard. One has to wonder what transgression prompted such retaliation. Was it food or love related?

A vineyard-filled landscape can be deceptively peaceful. While the grapes are ripening in the warm autumn sun, there is a buzz of activity behind the scenes. Farmers, viticulturalists and winemakers prepare for a new season of wine-making. Will the sugar levels in the grapes be just right? Is there enough tank space for the year’s harvest? Presses need to be cleaned and readied.

The harvest season begins long before the juicy bunches of grapes are plucked from the vines. The preparation of cellars, tools, barrels, presses and tanks happens weeks, sometimes months in advance. 

The three-year drought experienced in the Western Cape, might have a bigger impact on the grape harvest in 2019 than it did in 2018. The South African Wine Industry Information and Systems NPC, expects a smaller harvest this year than previous years. The rain in March made it necessary for more inputs for disease control. Above average winds experienced at the start of summer also impacted the grapes.

While one drives through these beautiful vineyard covered valleys, one is blissfully unaware of all the factors that can make an impact on a grape harvest. There is a rhythm to the growing and making of wine. It is a rhythm that spills over into the valleys and towns of the wine growing regions.