My overriding reaction to my week in South Africa last month was that the speed of change and pace of improvement in South African wine over the last 12 years or so have been almost literally incredible. And the most cursory look around wine country reflects a similar revolution, much more important than the fact that wines have so much more fruit and charm nowadays: the social revolution that has taken place so admirably swiftly and extraordinarily peacefully throughout most of South Africa. To see so many decent houses, such widespread car ownership, and to read the statistics that the...