I’ve received a lot of reader reactions to my column, ‘South Africa: Fragile Flower of the Wine World,’ published on Wine Review Online two weeks ago. All of the emails I’ve received have been supportive in tone except one, and since WRO isn’t a mutual admiration society, I want to publish (with permission of the author) the one reply that takes issue with a few aspects of the column. If you haven’t seen the original article, that would be the place to start:
http://www.winereviewonline.com/Michael_Franz_on_South_Africa_Situation.cfm
Then, please have a look at the following comments from Su Birch, CEO of Wines of South Africa. My reply to Ms. Birch also appears below, along with a link to an article published (by coincidence) on the day of this exchange.
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Dear Michael,
I have read with great interest your ‘Fragile Flower’ piece, and I am sorry that I did not manage to spend time with you at Cape Wine, as I am sure we could have had some interesting debates.
I feel uncomfortable with the idea that conscientious consumers should buy South African wine because they would like to help a place in peril. We are keen that our wine should be recognized for its competitive quality and value proposition, for its distinctiveness and vibrancy, and because our producers are implementing sustainable practices and taking responsibility for conserving one of the world’s most sensitive biodiversity hotspots. If buyers want to support causes then they should select individual brands (like Fundi), not countries.
Are we a country in peril? Perhaps but when I look at the rest of the world, we are not alone. Whether it is banking crises or terrorism, there is always peril. We may have 50 murders a day (and I am not condoning this, or making light of it) but Japan has more suicides than that a day. Different pathologies. I have been all over the world and in many hotels, I have had card keys for the lifts and for the floors.
Yes, we are a damaged society, and the sins of our fathers are being visited upon us, but we do not want to be seen as a charity case.
Our slums are horrific, and they are a function not only of poverty, but also of the unnatural pace of urbanization ,which had been dammed back under apartheid. There is no way SA can build houses fast enough. But did you get a chance to visit one of these shacks, and chat to the inhabitants? They are almost always neat, tidy and often well furnished. The children are at school. While the owners desperately want decent housing, you would find hope in their hearts because things are getting better not worse.
The wine industry will be slow to transform, because it is not very profitable. Wise black businessmen and women , who abound in Johannesburg and other urban centers, do not want to invest in an industry with such poor returns. Retail and construction are way more profitable. And if you didn’t inherit your farm, it is almost impossible to survive. You can not pay off a farm and earn a living in wine in SA.
These comments are meant in the friendliest way, and I look forward to reading your next pieces.
Kind regards
Su
Su Birch
CEO
Wines of South Africa,
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Dear Su,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
Here are just a few words in response:
–I did not mean to imply that helping a place in peril was the sole–or even the primary–reason for conscientious consumers to purchase South African wines. I don’t believe that the passage in question reads that way, but I understand your point. In any case, the follow-up column will furnish readers with a variety of other reasons, based centrally on quality and value.
–Of course you are correct that South Africa is not the only country in peril, though I cannot think of another wine-producing country that seems as imperiled. Argentina seems imperiled, though to a lesser degree in my judgment. As for card-operated elevators, I’m having difficulty thinking of another one that I’ve seen, and my travels are pretty extensive. I hope that that observation on my part was not unfair as a result of having missed a relatively common object by coincidence.
–As for the townships, I would desperately have liked to visit one. My recollection is that there was an option for doing that as part of the program at Cape Wine ’06, and I remember thinking that that was a very admirable thing to include. Is my recollection about that correct? I had a scheduling conflict that prevented me from going on that tour, and this year I didn’t see the option.
–I appreciate your observation about the difficulties involved in transforming the wine industry, as I appreciate your comments as a whole. I do indeed take your comments as friendly ones, and I hope that likewise you will regard my column as a well-intentioned recounting of information and impressions. I have been a tireless and enthusiastic supporter of South African wines since the mid-1990s, and shall remain one in the future.
All the best,
Michael
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On the day of this exchange, the following article was published in the New York Times. It may be of interest to those wishing to gain a fuller understanding of the situation in South Africa:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/world/africa/06safrica.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin
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