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MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Traditional and fashionable wines in symbiotic relationship
The Swartland revolution, once the must-attend event on the Cape wine industry calendar, has vanished — more or less without a trace. Marc Kent, whose idea it was and who directed the annual bash with just the right balance between purposefulness and anarchy, decided that it had served its purpose and pulled the plug while the weekend-long party still expressed the edginess which attracted wine enthusiasts from across SA. In little less than a decade it had helped to bring cachet and sexiness to what, on the surface, had been one of the clunkiest and least prepossessing of the country’s appellations. Despite its proximity to Cape Town, the Swartland had resolutely avoided modernisation – making it a source of some of the country’s best old vine fruit. By celebrating its frontier-like image, the revolution captured its unique selling proposition. By the same token, it could not continue to do so without turning itself into an institution – which would be self-defeating. Like populist...
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