I glance back at some of the issues discussed since January – both that I’ve written and those of others – to try and pinpoint what’s still relevant, what will still be relevant in the next year and if anything has changed or is worth rehashing.
One thing that seems clear to me is that the South African wine industry is hungry to move forward.
Our methods may differ, our strategies may be out of sync (and that’s a rather big problem right there) but we want to push South Africa as high as this ladder goes. And on days when I’m feeling rather low about the state of the industry, this encourages me.
So while it may be a little early for an end-of-year recap, I want to highlight a few points that have come to the fore over the last while and should be kept front and centre next year.
1. Science (and reason) – get with the program and stick with it
We are facing the largest and most dire drought situation in decades. Most viticulturists and winemakers seem to be preparing for this as best they can though there’s still a worrying misunderstanding of science in general – specifically relating to thinking around climate change. This way of thinking will hamper our resilience in the face of natural challenges in future.
We need more thinking about it, more talking about it and more writing about it (yes, I’m happy to jump in and assist with all three, but especially the latter).
We can overcome many internal struggles, spin PR disasters away and polish our image but if nature calls it quits on grape production, we are truly done for.
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