MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Muratie delivers again after a chequered past
With Rijk Melck at the helm, the wines from the valley deep in the Simonsberg are worthy of the historic estate
The scourge of corruption is hardly new in SA — though lately the ANC has made an art form of it. A mere 50 years after the first Cape grape harvest Willem Adriaan van der Stel, son of and successor to the founding father of the country’s fine wine industry, was sent back to Holland in disgrace for abuse of his office. In an attempt to conceal his felonies (does this sound familiar?) he jailed the whistleblowers. The difference was that they became folk heroes, not the victims of anonymous assassins. It’s easy to feel a certain nostalgia for the 18th-century justice system.
Then, as now, hard work was the alternative to theft and fraud as a route to self-advancement. Many of the early settlers chose this path to success. Consider the history of Muratie, which was granted in 1685 to Laurens Campher — a soldier in the service of the Dutch East India Company. He fell in love with a slave, Ansela van der Caab, whose manumission he secured after she bore him three children. The fam...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.