As we have learnt in recent times, with the banning of alcohol sales during the national lockdown, people are getting rather creative with how they source their favourite beverage.

Drone deliveries and booze bootlegging, anyone?

Props to this Cape leopard for going right to the source of the good stuff itself, with the cat being caught in the act in the mountains surrounding L’Ormarins, the main estate in the Anthonij Rupert Wyne portfolio in Franschhoek.

The video was first shared on Twitter by Johann Rupert on April 6, with the caption “L’Ormarins, Franschhoek: Visitor at Hidro last night”.

Turn the volume up so you can hear the leopard properly:

That’s roughly the same sound I would make if I was presented with a bottle of L’Ormarins Jean Roi Cap Provincial Rose. You may recall that the very same rose proved incredibly popular when Seth lunched in Provence.

Jeannie Hayward of the Cape Leopard Trust says this individual is one of “a few hundred” leopards left in the Cape mountain ranges, and stressed that the footage was obtained in a mountainous area away from regular human activity and movement.

She added that the sound heard above could be a mating call used to attract the opposite sex, or to threaten individuals of the same sex to stay away.

The leopards have huge ranges, and are regularly spotted on camera traps set up throughout the area. It’s easy to see why they would be at home around the L’Ormarins estate, with this from the Anthonij Rupert Wyne website:

The farm has a combination of both low-lying land and moderate-to-steep slopes. There is an altitude difference of 385m between the lowest (165m) and the highest (580m) points on the farm.

The vineyards are mainly planted on the slopes of the Groot Drakenstein mountains where granite soils produce robust, expressive wines.

The Syrah is planted on warmer, northerly facing slopes with better drainage at different altitudes, whilst the Merlot is planted on the cooler easterly facing, higher altitude areas. As for that world-famous, premium Méthode Cap Classique:

In 2011 the property situated to the east of L’Ormarins was purchased and now forms part of the L’Ormarins vineyards.

Most of the existing vines were uprooted and only the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blocks were left, as these grapes will be used for the L’Ormarins Méthode Cap Classique wines.

They’ve certainly put those grapes to good use.

Other camera traps in the Franschhoek mountain range have spotted a wide range of animals. Via the Franschhoek Conservancy Field Camera’s Instagram account, all of these photos were taken within the last month:

That’s a caracal, a red rock hare, African wild cat, Cape clawless otter, Cape Genet (also known as a large-spotted genet), and Charlie, the dominant male leopard in the mountain range for the best part of a decade.

I reckon all of the above are enjoying a welcome break from any encounters with humans.

[source:anthonijrupertwyne]