Half a Century of Harvesting
Monday, 4 March, 2013
Perdeberg
"I can't believe I'm at my 50th harvest already!" says Jimmy, as he ponders and stares into the distance, and later adds with a slight chuckle: "Am I that old already? Oh well, either way, even after all these years, I am still proud to be delivering to Perdeberg."
Jimmy Albertyn, at the ripe old age of 81, has just had his 50th harvest of Chenin Blanc grapes – he’s been supplying Perdeberg Winery since 1963. But, as it turns out, Jimmy took a few years to even get to do his first harvest.
Born and bred in Constantia, he spent his earlier years at Wynberg Boys High and then attended Elsenburg College.
Jimmy’s father, Louis Kasper, nicknamed “Kappie”, was an export table grape farmer who decided to take Jimmy out of Elsenburg College and teach him the art of growing table grapes.
Soon, Jimmy was thriving in the table grape farming industry and he also ventured into pig farming. This was unfortunately not welcomed by the governing body of Constantia Valley, due to the pig farming odours and other related factors … and so Jimmy was asked to move and continue his pig farming elsewhere.
In 1962, at the age of 30, Jimmy moved to a farm called “Hou Moed” (means Keep Faith) in Agter-Paarl to continue his pig farming. However, he found he had to also adapt to wine grape farming, because this type of farming was cultivated on the farm.
And so it was that, in 1963, Jimmy harvested his first wine grapes which were delivered to Perdeberg winery.
In 1985, Jimmy bought the adjacent 60ha farm, Uitkyk, which was cultivated with dry land bush vine Chenin Blanc. He sold “Hou Moed” in 1996.
Jimmy Albertyn, now 81, who not only left Constantia but then subsequently pig farming too, has plans to continue – and proudly - supplying his grapes to Perdeberg winery for as many years as he is allowed to.