A River Flows Through It

There are three dimensions or pillars to the concept of sustainability: environment, society and economy. Draw up a Venn diagram and at the point where all three circles overlap you’d have the perfect little patch of sustainability, because all three elements are inextricably linked and mutually dependent.

Wine farms know all about sustainability. For some, the lessons have been rather brutal – especially on the environmental and economic side. 

Just a few short years after a multi-year drought that had Western Cape residents showering in a few litres of water before recycling that same sudsy water and tossing on the parched garden, queuing for 25-litres of “free” water at local springs, installing grey water systems and catchment tanks and counting down to Day Zero, the area has seen some of the heaviest, hardest rain downfalls in living memory.

Late in 2023, Franschhoek suffered shocking damage from 300mm of precipitation in just 24 hours, the N2 freeway had to be rebuilt at Bot River after terrible washaways and the Breede River sprawled sideways for hundred of metres, reminding everyone precisely how it got its name. It was in September 2023 that Robertson farms such as De Wetshof, Silverthorn, Viljoensdrift, Van Loveren and many others bore the brunt of an epic cut-off low pressure system.

Springfield put it best in a Facebook post: “While we only (only – ha! – it was one third of our yearly average!) received 78mm of rain, the extreme weather felt across the province and in our catchment areas meant rivers and dams burst their banks, causing widespread and severe flooding in our region – worse than that experienced just months prior.” Springfield had 50 hectares of low-lying vines fully submerged and it took weeks to access the area and begin dealing with the carnage.

June’s deluge had happened during vine dormancy but this September inundation (both floods exceeded the historic 100 year flood line) happened around Heritage Day, early Spring, when the vines reawaken and bud. As Johann De Wet of De Wetshof noted at the time, “You can fix infrastructure like poles and trellising, but damage to the vines themselves is another thing. It’ll take years for any replanting to take effect and bear fruit.” Fully understandable that farmers and producers on the banks of the Breede River were more than just a little concerned at the fate of the potential 2024 vintage.   Springfield reported that repairs and cleanup took months and the Bruwer family were relieved to see that the buds weren’t too severely damaged. Harvest 2024 was however curtailed and substantially smaller than usual – because of the flood damage as well as winds during flowering and fungal disease late in the season.

And in July 2024, the Breede River burst its banks once again… “Goodbye oat hay fields, hello beach!,” was Springfield’s Facebook post on July 15. “The water is subsiding after last week’s “once in a lifetime” floods (for the third time in 13 months) and the damage is slowly coming to light. We have learnt from experience to wait a few weeks before attempting cleanup as the ground is still extremely soggy and all our dump trucks and excavators tend to get stuck if we try to be too proactive too early.”

As De Wetshof stated: “nature gives so much, but also takes away…” The sad reality is that these three floods, along with the sustained drought which preceded them, are the tangible signs of climate change. Research recently published by the University of Cape Town’s Climate Systems Analysis Group has predicted more of the same in years to come. “Climate change threatens these assets with increased frequency and intensity of droughts, heat waves and severe flooding in some parts of the country. These extreme weather events are likely to damage crops and infrastructure, and threaten plants and animals that attract tourism,” the report published in March stated.

“South Africa is a well-resourced country, with a strong agricultural and biodiversity heritage. Climate change and socioeconomic risks threaten to bring about a huge change to this status. How South Africa copes with these changes will depend on the response of all its people, but especially policy makers and planners,” said Dr Peter Johnston from the UCT Climate System Analysis Group.

Viljoensdrift, Springfield, Van Loveren, Bon Courage, Springfield, De Wetshof and many more in the Robertson valley, know all too well the economic cost of not just mopping-up operations but replacement of infrastructure. Silverthorn owner John Loubser has removed invasive alien eucalyptus trees in an attempt to future proof his land, De Wetshof once again planted new posts and strung trellis wire while Springfield waited for the waters to subside and mud to dry before sending equipment into the vineyards to repair the damage.

Hope certainly springs eternal, and the latter estate’s words from September 2023 were prescient: “While it might sound like it is all doom and gloom, we are keeping our chins up and our hearts open. Our homes, families and animals are safe. The cleanup will be labour intensive and slow, but it will be done and things will once again return to a sense of normality. We will adapt, and we will overcome the obstacles that are in our path.”

That indomitability and resilience of spirit is something which academic definitions of sustainability can’t factor in. Yes, nature will pound away at the environment, costing producers and affecting the livelihoods of all who work those farms but the sheer grit and determination is the ultimate expression of sustainability. That bloody minded, we will overcome, human spirit which is hardwired into South Africans.

Fiona McDonald

Climate change threatens these assets with increased frequency and intensity of droughts, heatwaves and severe flooding in some parts of the country. These extreme weather events are likely to damage crops and infrastructure, and threaten plants and animals that attract tourism.

“South Africa is a well-resourced country, with a strong agricultural and biodiversity heritage. Climate change and socioeconomic risks threaten to bring about a huge change to this status. How South Africa copes with these changes will depend on the response of all its people, but especially policy makers and planners,” explained Dr Peter Johnston from the UCT Climate System Analysis Group.

(annual rainfall is 450mm)

Springfield

The 2024 harvest was full of surprises, with curveballs getting dealt to us pretty early in the growing season with two record breaking floods in the second half of 2023. While the first flood, in June, took place while the vines were dormant, the second flood, at the end of September, occurred just as most of our vines had started budding, which was a cause of great worry and concern for the vintage ahead. Both floods surpassed the 100 year flood line, and resulted in large swathes of our farm being flooded. While a great majority of our vines were underwater, with about 50ha completely submerged, we were relieved to see that no serious damage was caused by the flood water. Roads were damaged and a lot of soil washed away, but fortunately this is all salvageable. The cleanup and repair took months – roads which were not completely washed away were unnavigable – which was costly and labour intensive to do. Fortunately the buds did not wash off nor were damaged too severely by the debris. The vines however, were delayed in terms of growth and vigour, and paired with winds during flowering season and the fungal disease pressure from late summer rains, meant that the 2024 harvest was significantly smaller in terms of yield than previous years. All was not doom and gloom, however! While yields were smaller, the quality was great with good, even ripening and great diurnal temperature ranges promoting aromatic complexity. We were lucky to finish our harvest the day before the first big rains of the autumn season, and so escaped any worries of rot or dilution. With most of the fermentation done, we were excited to blend the cuvees in April and May, and cannot wait to share this remarkable vintage with the world!

(Immediate aftermath:

This past long weekend, the Western Cape suffered the brunt of a cutoff-low weather system, & was pummelled by wind, rain and terrible flooding. While we only (only - ha - it was one third of our yearly average!) received 78mm of rain, the extreme weather felt across the province and in our catchment areas meant rivers and dams burst their banks, causing widespread and severe flooding in our region - worse than that experienced just months prior. The Breede River and its tributaries came down with full force on Tuesday, peaking at 16H00 that afternoon. Both the Breede and the ‘spruite’ (tributaries) burst their banks, flooding most of our vineyards which at the time of writing are still completely submerged under water. Our hands are cut off - there is nothing that can be done but wait for the water to subside and pray that the destruction is not too great. Our vines are at a critical stage, having all started budding in the last month - these young shoots are tender and impossibly delicate. Our worry is that they will either have been washed off by the water, been broken off by the debris that is washing through, or that those that do remain will be damaged or broken by the removal of the debris once the cleanup begins. Yes, the vines will bud again - but this new growth will be completely out of sync - not only with the existing growth but with the growing season as a whole. Not only that, but the shoots that do remain are now susceptible to downy mildew, which will also need to be treated. (We will not even mention the fact that our frost fans are all but drowned and the frost season is not yet over) While it might sound like it is all doom and gloom, we are keeping our chins up and our hearts open. Our homes, families and animals are safe. The cleanup will be labour intensive and slow, but it will be done and things will once again return to a sense of normality. We will adapt, and we will overcome the obstacles that are in our path.