Johannesburg - Anglo American’s 300-year-old
Vergelegen wine farm in South Africa has been damaged by wildfires as
strong winds spread the blaze across parts of the country’s Western Cape
winelands.
“There’s been quite a bit of damage to the wine-farm
areas,” including Vergelegen, Theo Layne, a spokesman for the City of Cape
Town’s Fire and Rescue department, said by phone Wednesday. While residents in
the Somerset West area have been allowed to return to their properties,
emergency crews remain on high alert as the fire hasn’t yet been contained, he
said.
Willem Adriaan van der Stel, son of the Governor of the
Cape of Good Hope, was granted the farm in 1700. London-based diversified
mining company Anglo American bought Vergelegen, about 50 kilometres southeast
of Cape Town, in 1987.
“The fire has not damaged buildings, but has damaged some
of the land on the farm,” Pranill Ramchander, head of corporate communications
for Anglo American South Africa, said in an e-mailed response. There have been
no injuries and the company doesn’t have any confirmed information on what
caused the fire, he said.
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After Anglo acquired the property, whose name means
“situated far away,” the wine-making and viticulture team spent a year digging
more than 3 000 holes to analyse soil profiles and used weather stations to find
the perfect terrain on which to establish its vineyards, according to the
Vergelegen website.
“Since the production of its first wine in 1992,
Vergelegen Estate and its wines have earned more than 200 awards, including
winning the coveted Chateau Pichon Longueville Trophy twice for the Best
Bordeaux Blend at the International Wine & Spirits Competition,” according
to the website.
BLOOMBERG