Roots run deep in the valley of plenty
A howling southeaster picks up in Cape Town the day I leave for Robertson. With a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel, I tune the radio to Kfm and turn my thoughts to the journey ahead. This trip is the last thing standing between me and my December holiday, but I can hardly complain about closing off the business year with a journey into wine country.
Interestingly, my research taught me that a century ago Robertson derived its fame and wealth from something other than grapes. The town was founded in 1853 and named after a respected minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, Dr William Robertson, whose parish included Swellendam and surrounding areas. The early townsfolk made wagons and tended small subsistence farms, but things changed at the beginning of the previous century.
Fashion in Europe at the time revolved around ladies’ hats adorned with ostrich plumes. During the resulting ostrich boom from 1900 to
