SA fires: damage to Elgin Valley assessed

Between 3,000-4,000 hectares have been damaged in Elgin Valley by the raging bush fires affecting Western Cape winegrowing regions in South Africa.

A helicopter carrying water to douse the wildfires flies over the Elgin Valley (Photo: Sullivan Photography)

The Elgin Valley Wine Guild has reported that the fires in the area have now been extinguished, but that the clean-up operation is revealing the full extent of the damage to vineyards.

Many wineries have reported less damage than they initially feared, but local reports tell of entire vineyards being wiped out in minutes.

Andrew Gunn, owner of Iona Vineyards said: “There was a stage where I had resigned myself to losing all our workers houses and a substantial part of our vineyards.”

However, the wine guild claims that that with no loss of life or significant infrastructural damage has been a silver lining to the “terrible ordeal”.

“Now, more than ever before, the greater Elgin community needs to be supported from a tourism and wine perspective – we have a lot of rebuilding to do”, said Kevin King, owner of South Hill winery and chairman of the Elgin Wine Valley Guild.

The fires, which have mainly concentrated on Stellenbosch, have come just two months before harvesting is expected to begin in Elgin.