Uncle Theodore’s Wine

IN THE FRONT yard of Uncle Theodore and Aunty Irene’s house the East Rand grew a single grapevine. That little grapevine brought Uncle Theodore untold pleasure. In his retirment he was a dedicated vigneron and every year he would elect the best of the vine’s black grapes to make his own sweet red wine. The harvest was enough for him to produce st a single bottle of wine, perhaps two in an exceptional year. Many people had heard about Uncle Theodore’s wine but very few had been privileged enough to taste it.

Uncle Theodore and Aunty Irene also owned a house in the little village of Kaspaka on the Greek island of Limnos. They happened to be there at the time that I was travelling in Greece in 1993, so I stopped off and visited them for a few days. While there I spear-fished and snorkelled in the crystal-clear Mediterranean water and they were utterly delighted with the fresh fish and octopus that I