It's Just Not Fair (But I Like It)

Leaving an estate up in the Helderberg after a fine tasting recently I was struck, just for a minute or two, by the unfairness of it all.
I mean  there we were,  departing with a box of the good stuff purchased at cellar door price, having spent a couple of hours taking up the precious time of the winemaker himself, having left no tasting fee and paid no charge for enjoying the stunning surroundings. We left behind a tasting room needing some re-stocking, a fireplace needing more wood, an empty olive and biscuit tray and a winemaker’s wife who got to see less of her husband that day than she expected (like every other day, I suppose.)
Through the vineyards we drove, without having to consider spraying or pruning or harvesting or irrigation. A quick wave to a group of farm workers but no thought about their wages, their housing or the community upliftment programmes so essential today in the winelands. And then on through the gates and into our world where South Africans in general have still not really taken to wine, and many who have still refuse to pay more than R35.00 for a decent bottle of red.
And this is what I mean about “the unfairness of it all”. We are welcomed as guests to these magnificent estates, soak up the hospitality and then leave at our leisure, often without having paid fair price for the experience or considering the footprint we have left.
But then this is what wine is all about, isn’t it? Those who make the wine are proud of what they have achieved and want to share it with others. When we find ourselves in possession of a good bottle we immediately seek out others to share it with, don’t we? And so I would encourage others to take the opportunity to travel the winelands and engage with the good folk who run these establishments.
It is a rare pleasure and privilege indeed. Oh, and buy a box when you leave ...