IMAGINE owning a row of vines in a South African vineyard and employing a skilled winemaker to cultivate and harvest your grapes, and produce a small quantity of high quality wine each year - wine that is exclusive to you and your partners in the vineyard. Wine that you can enjoy at home, cheaper than the normal selling price!

More and more local producers are opting for such a scheme, based on the Rent A Vine project which has been very successful in England and France since 1995.

Rent A Vine has "leased" vines from five of South Africa's top Winemakers - Pierre Wahl of Môreson; Soleil du Matin from Franschhoek; James Farquharson of Reyneke Wines from Stellenbosch and Jeff Grier of Villiera Wines from Paarl; David Nieuwoudt from Cederberg Wine in the Cederberg area; and Josef Krammer of the Eikendal Vineyards in Helderberg.

Many wines from these vineyards have won medals at different national and international competitions.  

You can share in the fun of "owning" a vineyard, by renting your own row of vines for only R750 (Privilege member) or R1200 (Exclusive member) per year. 

In an average year each "row" will produce four cases (48 bottles) of top-quality red or white wine. Having "rented" your vines, you then have the option to buy the wine they produce at 10% less than the cellar price, though you are under no obligation to do so.

They are Moreson Soleil du Matin Chardonnay, Villiera Tradition Rose Brut, Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon, Eikendal Merlot and Reyneke Sauvignon Blanc.

You can either collect the wine direct from the vineyard or from the Rent A Vine office or have it delivered at your door.

Oude Jongh wine farm has launched a similar scheme, Vineshare Franschhoek, which enables you to lease the vines on the farm, giving winelovers the opportunity to monitor their vines from budding to harvesting and take part in the maturation of their own barrel of wine.

Winemaker Nigel McNaught of Stony Brook has been appointed to ensure premium wines are produced on Oude Jongh farm. He was a medical doctor before turning his hand to winemaking in Franschhoek more than a decade ago. He will be assisted by viticulturist Kevin Watt and farm manager John de Jongh.

The Oude Jongh maiden Shiraz has already been bottled, and a maiden Cabernet Sauvignon will follow this year. Other red varieties, such as Pinotage and Merlot have recently been planted, as well as white varieties including Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Semillon.

The cost to share a lifestyle in the winelands is R5 000 a year.

For more information see www.rent-a-vine.co.za or phone 556-2882 or www.oudejongh.co.za or www.vineshares.com or phone 876-4525 or 438-0330.

DIE Bergrivier Besproeiingsraad het begin om indringerplantegroei langs die Bergrivier uit te roei.

Die Besproeiingsraad sê die oormaat uitheemse indringerplantegroei teen die rivieroewer lei tot verliese van tussen 20 en 30% water vir besproeiers.

Ses spanne werkers is ingevolge die 'Werk vir Water' program van die Departement van Waterwese en Bosbou aangestel.

Die een span sal begin om die rivieroewer van die Skuifraamdamterrein tot by die Paarl skoon te maak. Nog drie spanne sal van die Franschhoekbrug begin en twee spanne sal van die N1-brug by Paarl stroomaf werk.

'n Strook van 30 meter sal aan weerskante van die rivier skoongemaak word. Bome met 'n deursnee van minder as 20cm sal afgekap en in stompe gesaag word. Van die hout sal fyn opgekap en aan kwekerye verkoop word.

Die omgewing sal voorberei word vir verbranding.

Geen werk sal op private grond plaasvind voor die eienaar nie die ooreenkoms van die Departement van Waterwese en Bosbou onderteken het nie. Eienaars moet egter daarop let dat, ingevolge die Wet op Bewaring van Landbou Hulpbronne, die verantwoordelikheid oor beheer van uitheemse indringerplante by die grondeienaar berus.

Die Drakenstein Munisipaliteit het die Besproeiingsraad versoek dat sy parke-afdeling deurentyd op hoogte gehou word van die vordering, sodat koördinering met die prioriteite van die Munisipaliteit deurlopend kan plaasvind.

THE Drakenstein Municipality is organising a Local Economic Development Summit to be held in the Wellington town hall on Tuesday 23 April.

The theme for the summit is "The role of Local Government in Local Economic Development".

Says Jacques Carstens, Municipal Manager, "Local governments in South Africa have to become agents for development to facilitate economic growth, job creation, development and participatory democracy."

Says Carstens, "Drakenstein Municipality is confronted with enormous economic development challenges. These include decaying central business districts, service backlogs, rural areas lacking basic infrastructure, neighbourhoods with few economic opportunities and a high percentage of unemployment."

Businesses, institutions and organisations that are involved with local economic development in Drakenstein are invited to attend the summit.

Confirm attendance of the summit by 12:00 on 16 April with LC Adams (807-6225) or M Overbeeck (807-4802).

THE Drakenstein Municipality has appointed urban planners to lead team of specialists to prepare a policy on the future of the Paarl "town farms". 

These farms, falling within the old Paarl municipal area, are under increasing pressure for development.

The team, consisting of town planners, agricultural economists, an agricultural engineering specialist, heritage and urban design specialists, civil and traffic engineers and environmentalists, has been briefed to consider the future use of some 21 farms that were earmarked for conservation in the 1970s by the Page report prepared for the Council. 

The team will inter alia consider the following aspects in the preparation of the policy:

* The historic context of the farms and development in Paarl;

* The heritage value of the farms and their contribution to Paarl's cultural landscape;

* The viability of farming units;

* The impact of the declining table grape industry on these farms;

* The agricultural potential of the farms and the value of investment in agriculture;

* Problems related to irrigation and possible solutions;

* Possible alternative crops and/or land uses;

* The impact of alternative uses on traffic and service provision.

The public will be invited to participate in the process through a series of public meetings starting at the end of the month, where they will present the findings of a comprehensive situational analysis. 

In the mean time they are calling on the public to provide input and raise any issues that should be considered at the outset of the investigation. 

Contact Lize Malan at MCA Urban and Environmental Planners at tel 685-1150, fax 686-1210 or e-mail lize@mcaplan.co.za. 

Bisschoff Bosman (807-4831) is co-ordinating the project at the Drakenstein Municipality.

THE strength of community newspapers, such as the Paarl Post, came under serious discussion during a Forum for Community Journalists management committee bosberaad meeting at Blue Ridge Guest Farm in Newcastle recently.

While most national newspapers are experiencing a decline, there has been increased interest in local news amongst readers and this has contributed towards the growth in the community newspaper industry.

The forum, which forms part of the Print Media SA and its affiliate, the Community Press Association, provides a platform for thousands of community newspaper journalists throughout South Africa and is committed to the development of the community press.

To this end, the Forum annually hosts regional seminars and also presents the annual Sanlam Community Press Awards which gives recognition to the country's top community newspaper writers and photographers.

The Western Cape seminar, which is being arranged by Paarl Post editor Anne Kruger, is to be held later this year.

Much of the discussion at the bosberaad centred on the Forum's association with the South African National Editor's Forum as well as projects that the Forum has embarked on.

Most significant of these has been the Forum's Masifunde Zonke project which hopes to foster a culture of reading amongst South Africans. This year the Forum hopes also to join forces with the Community Press Association to promote a worthwhile project.

The Forum is committed to transformation and development of journalists from previously disadvantaged communities and will this year during the annual Sanlam Community Press Awards, identify a "most promising journalist" of the year. This individual, who does not have the financial means to study journalism, will be awarded a bursary arranged by the Forum.

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