Lockdown's Winemaking Dream

When South Africa locked down in March 2020, Natasha Jacka did not sit on the couch. She grabbed a shovel and planted a vineyard in her parents' backyard in Noordhoek, near Cape Town. Four years later, her home-grown Syrah earned a score of 96 out of 100, according to Associated Press.

Jacka planted 1,400 vines by hand across two small blocks. She grew 750 Syrah vines and 650 vines of a white field blend. The project turned a lockdown restlessness into a full winemaking career — and a label called Alinea, meaning