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'Verkwik' is an Afrikaans word meaning 'to invigorate', but I think its true meaning refers to a spark of life. An electric, life-giving moment, 'invigorating,' then, a band-aid for a bullet wound Google Translate. Danie Morkel of Diemerskraal aspires to make 'verkwikkende' wines, life-giving, thrill-seeking wines, which makes sense, given his family's THING with flying.
"The Guide says there is an art to flying", said Ford, "or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
There's a calmness that belies the true danger and exhilaration of flying as a pilot, but even more so as an aviator. In his recent article for WineLand, Johannes Richter draws the distinction between the two: pilots see flying as a career, and aviators see it as a lifestyle. For the Morkels of Diemerskraal, it's a lifestyle and something Daan Morkel chose after a near-death incident with a bee (yes) at 50 and his decision to take up flying as a way, quite literally, of seizing the day. ** For more context, I'd start watching Apple+'s Masters of the Sky series now.
