Thieves have done some nighttime harvesting on a property belonging to the Delheim winery near Stellenbosch, stripping about 2 tonnes of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which could mean an accumulative loss of about R200 000 for the owners.
Though the grapes themselves only cost about R800 a ton, the final income derived from the 1 400 litres of wine, which sells for more than R100 a bottle is considerably higher, said viticulturist and general manager of the winery, Victor Sperling.
“This is disconcerting, because it appears to be well orchestrated. The double layer of razor wire was cut and it is obvious the thieves were there for at least two nights. They knew to steal expensive red wines which were on the verge of ripeness.
