Posted on 03/25/2010 3:31:52 PM PDT by SJackson
JOHANNESBURG – Baboons, it seems, prefer pinot noir. They also like a nice chardonnay.
Largely undeterred by electric fences, hundreds of wild baboons in South Africa's prized wine country are finding the vineyards of ripe, succulent grapes to be an "absolute bonanza," said Justin O'Riain of the University of Cape Town.
Winemakers have resorted to using noisemakers and rubber snakes to try to drive the baboons off during harvest season.
"The poor baboons are driven to distraction," said O'Riain, who works in the university's Baboon Research Unit.
"As far as baboons are concerned, the combination of starch and sugar is very attractive — and that's your basic grape," he said.
Growers say the picky primates are partial to sweet pinot noir grapes, adding to the winemakers' woe: Pinot noir sells for more than the average merlot or cabernet sauvignon.
"They choose the nicest bunches, and you will see the ones they leave on the ground. If you taste them, they are sour," said Francois van Vuuren, farm manager at La Terra de Luc vineyards, 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Cape Town. "They eat the sweetest ones and leave the rest."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Welfare queens ???
I would think hanging a few dead baboons along the perimeter fences would get the others to think twice before going over.
“That’s the Spirit!” ping.
Too bad ... between this and the Chilean earthquake, a wine drinker could feel a little sad.
This is an outrage. I don’t know how much more I can take. :)
Bush’s fault.
>> They should see Nancy Pelosi’s vinyard. <<
Can we transplant some there?
I’m not much of a Pinot Noir drinker, fortunately. But still ... darned baboons!
I have a history of South Africa that DP bought me at a library sale, and it said that South Africa has been exporting wines since the 1690s. At one point, almost half the wine drunk in England came from South Africa.
Oh this is nothing! Trust me!
Just wait till the baboons get their little paws on the wine!
I actually prefer wines from California. My dogs are from Africa, however.
Ok, not directly, but the breed originates there.
Great opportunity for a mounted shooting competition!
*Winemakers have resorted to using noisemakers and rubber snakes to try to drive the baboons off during harvest season. *
Umm, have they thought about trying firearms?
When I hunted in the Limpopo Province in 2005, baboons were considered vermin and could be hunted freely, although they were very wary and difficult to stalk.
Oh this is nothing! Trust me!
Just wait till the baboons get their little paws on the wine!
Oh, this is nothing, wait till they find out they
can vote themselves welfare.
Not when they are after grapes apparently.
Maybe greyhounds are from Africa ;-).
I like California wines, too, but South Africa has some excellent ones, and they were really cheap for a while.
Greyhounds are wonderful. I don’t care where they’re from
Africa does have some very good wines.
“Abbadabbadabbadabbadabba” said the monkey to the chimp...
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