Late winter rains and cold weather in the Western Cape have made wine farmers much happier than at anytime during the dormant period of the grape crop this year.
With exports continuing to climb by more than 20% South Africa can ill afford a bad harvest at this stage.
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Many exporters are hanging on desperately to foreign contracts as the Rand last week strengthened to almost 50% of its value, after falling to just under R20 to £1 in December 2001.
A warm early and mid winter had viticulturists contemplating the worst for South African wines and even now they are holding their collective breath for more rain to provide deep soil moisture to help dry-land vineyards during the crucial mid-summer harvesting months of January and February.
