Monday, 20 February, 2017
Hein on Wine, Hein Koegelenberg
Agriculture is important to provide food for our people. And in the protection of our resources and beauty of the natural landscape lies enormous tourism potential – accompanied by job creation opportunities. At the same time, however, the country is also dependent on the mining sector and we do need electricity…
This dilemma is one that I often think about and it is a popular topic of discussion among friends and associates. But suddenly, our worries and opinions turned into real concern when this week the news broke that we are now confronted by something much closer to home – the suggested sand mining in the Paardeberg wine growing area. (read more)
Why is this area special? Not only have the revolutionary wines and winemakers of the area done a lot for the image of South African wine over the last few years – even if, at least, they created media interest – but the area has long been known for quality wine grape production. And, with its almost avant-garde appeal, the region with its wine and horse farms definitely holds much tourism potential and the ability to create jobs and ensure skills training and development in local communities.
But it is obvious that I would think like this – I am after all a winemaker with interests in the wine and tourism industries. So, I try to see the other side of the story. No expert in the field of mining, I do understand that we consume energy at an alarming rate, that it has to come from somewhere and that we can’t have our cake and eat it. But perhaps we can approach this challenge in a different way.
To read more online, click here.