A year ago, the recently re-elected president of Uganda, President Museveni, visited their convent close to Mbarara. He was so impressed by the efforts of these sisters that he offered to assist them in their quest to make better quality wine. The sisters surfed the internet enquiring about opportunities to learn and gain experience in wine- and cheese making internationally. They came upon the website of Weltevrede, contacted me and asked whether I could help them. A few months later I received the phone call from them confirming that they were on their way. It was a first for me. Not to teach someone to make wine, but I have never known anyone from Uganda before neither have I ever met nuns. In the matter of a few weeks a great relationship was formed between them, my family and my cellar team with whom they worked. The sisters were hard working, keen to learn, quick to grasp complicated aspects of microbiology and science and covered everything from terroir to malolactic fermentation. They were great fun and we laughed a lot. From Weltevrede here in the Robertson Valley they went to Stellenbosch to do a cheese making course, after which they will purchase the essentials for small scale wine making and return to their country armed with a few bottles of fortified sweet wine that they have made at Weltevrede as well as a bottle or two as a gift to the president. The day after the sisters arrived in South Africa the personal secretary of President Museveni, Mrs. Grace Nyakwenegura, came to Weltevrede to meet me and see the sisters off. She is very excited about this project and has invited my wife and I to visit them in Uganda and possibly to meet with the president. Lindelize and I hope to visit them during their August harvest this year. Most serious winemaking internationally happens between 30 and 50 degrees latitude both south and north. Making wine on the equator is thus not ideal and faces serious challenges. Whereas quality wine comes from moderate climates, cooler, drier areas with winter rainfall Uganda does not have much of a winter, is drenched in summer rainfall and has very high humidity. Whereas the southern hemisphere grape harvest is in February/March and the northern hemisphere harvests in August/September Uganda pick twice a year! Both in February/March and August/September. Their vines never shed their leaves and leaf plucking needs to be done when it is time to prune. What a paradigm shift! Altitude must compensate for latitude Wine is made in Kenya and Tanzania as well and although they may not outperform the Montrachets of the well-known wine world they are much better than what our prejudice allows us to think and apparently it is quite drinkable. I put myself in the shoes of an early explorer, almost like Jan van Riebeeck who arrived and chose the slopes of Table Mountain as terroir to plant his first vines. Should I have to attempt quality wine production in Uganda, where shall I establish a vineyard? Altitude must compensate for latitude. I searched the topographical maps and satellite images of Uganda. On the western border Uganda is flanked by the permanently snow capped Ruwenzori Mountains, dubbed the Mountains of the Moon due to the strange Alpine-like vegetation on the slopes. Surely a better temperature zone could be found by climbing the foothills rather than trying to grow grapes in the low-lying humid areas towards Lake Victoria. Although the Ruwenzori Mountains may be cooler higher up where Gorillas in the Mist was filmed, humidity stays high and the showers of icy rainfall and mist are certainly not ideal. My research took me to the other side of Uganda, where Mount Elgon forms the boundary with Kenya. Mount Elgon is the biggest solitary mountain in Africa with an enormous volume due to its wide base. An extinct volcano, Mount Elgon is a mammoth of ancient volcanic soils believed to be 24 times as old as Mount Kilimanjaro. It has a height of more than 4000 meters above sea level and the peaks are often dusted with snow. It is drier there especially on its northern slopes where the spectacular Sipi Falls are. Whereas western Uganda farms mainly with bananas and cattle, here it is less humid and indigenous coffee is produced. Mount Elgon is where I would start searching for the right terroir: well drained gravelly soil on a cooler slope in the drier rain shadow of the mountain. Mount Elgon has also been called “The Mountain of Illusion.” Perhaps the idea of making good quality wine will stay a dream for the people of Uganda. But if you do not dream life will fade into colourless greys. Philip Jonker Winemaker Weltevrede Estate Tel: +27 23 616-2141 info@weltevrede.com www.weltevrede.com