So last week was my first week privately consulting and what fun that was! I was stressed no doubt, but I know what I need to do and I know how to do it, so this is going to be fun.
The positive momentum we are building, not only on the farms and with private clients but with The Old Vines Project as well, is nothing short of exhilarating. Yesterday we had a very exciting meeting with Ina Smith of the Chenin blanc Association and Helene and Reneé of Stellenbosch University – some good research projects are ongoing on old vines and more is sure to come.
The reaction I received after I posted Old Vines – Endangered Species? was very positive – some winemakers woke up and realized that they need to help save these vines and start making wines from these relics, for once they are uprooted they will NEVER be able to make wine from those giants again. Thanks for contacting me – for those who want to contact me – my email is jaco at visualviticulture dot co dot za. If we can get at least a 100 winemakers on-board to take just 10 tonnes each from old vines we could have saved at least 400 hectares of old vines in one year!
Furthermore I am busy with a lot of exciting GIS studies throughout South Africa, some in the Hemel-en-aarde valley, some in the Helderberg, Paarl, Stellenbosch, Banhoek, Cederberg, Darling, Durbanville and soon some more in Elgin. There is so much to be learned through these studies, but it doesn’t end there! Everything that has spatial properties can be used in GIS – soil mapping, NDVI, grape bunch weights, virus status – you name it, I’ll map it!
