Cape Grape Scrape

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Shpent the firsht day in CapeTown on a full day wine landsh tour. Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franschoek, I think they were called but after 4 wines at 09.30, paired with cheeses, 5 at 10.30, paired with biltong (springbok, kudu, and beef), a large glass of CabSav with a sumptuous lunch, then 7 (yes, 7) in the afternoon, paired with I can’t remember, things got a little, ok maybe more than a little, blurred. I make that about 17 different wines give or take a bottle or three. Apparently itsh not polite to spit out the wine in South Africa, so we wash forshd ti shwaollw it all. Shirley managed to pry my credit card from me when I passed out and bought 2 bottles of the most expensive wine in the Southern Hemisphere. I now need to pop out and buy a couple of straws. Oh and a 3 foot olive wood giraffe just to prove that luggage limits are only advisory rather than compulsory! Which brings me to wonder how Ruth got on with her 5+kg teak elephant smuggled under her cardie at Toronto customs.
They’ve had an unusually warm few weeks here in their early winter and currently about 28C. The water crisis has eased a bit with recent rains, coupled with a massive campaign to reduce water consumption. This includes flushing toilets only once or twice daily, hand sanitiser rather than water, limiting showers to 90 secs and collecting the initial shower water in a bucket until it runs hot, not leaving taps running whilst cleaning teeth, etc. All stuff we take for granted…..until your reservoirs are virtually empty! No rain here for the last 3 years and was due to run out in April with city taps then being shut off. However the CT public rose to the threat and reduce consumption to less than half, farmers freed up some of their deep well/ bore hole water for the city, and…..rain came! Threat now postponed until next year, but water prudence will continue. A very close shave for one of the worlds largest modern cities. A lesson to us all………not that Scotland needs to worry too much about drought. But no water……no life. And how would you make beer?
Anyway, the point of the story was that it’s due to rain for the next few days! I honestly am very happy for CT, but was it too much to ask for just a couple more days rain free? After nearly 3 weeks of blue, cloudless skies, it will come as a bit of a shock.

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Photos

So much wine....
...so little time

Things getting a bit blurred
Think I need a new pair of glasses

Popular guy
Memorial outside prison he was released from

After first 3 tastings
You don’t want to see the photo after the 17th.