South Africa and a toast to democracy

Not everything in the entire world is going to hell in a half-track. A few days ago, I tasted some South African wines. Although there are many reasons for a gloomy appraisal of South Africa’s prospects, wine is not among them. The industry is benefitting from new investment, encouraged by easier export markets made possible by political change.

Even under the previous dispensation, there were excellent vine-yards in the Cape, the product of a fruitful racial compact. When the Huguenot refugees arrived at Table Bay, they brought their oenophile lore and rapidly assimilated with the Dutch settlers who were already establishing themselves. The name Franschhoek survives, as do many French surnames, although the language largely disappeared. If only it had been as easy to bridge other South African divisions.

It helped that the 18th-century Cape was fertile and peaceful. Pauline Smith’s largely forgotten novel The Beadle evokes an almost pre-lapsarian way of life, with the generosity of nature allowing the locals a serene exemption from conflict and history.