Wine

De Krans Wines in Calitzdorp is without a doubt one of SA’s leading port producers. This statement was reaffirmed when, for the fourth year in a row its Cape Vintage Reserve was announced as the Overall Fortified Wine of the Year by revered UK authority Tim Atkin MW, in his highly anticipated annual review of South African wines. This year the 2018 vintage took the honour, as well as scoring an impressive 95 points. In addition three of their wines scored 90 + points each. The deserving recipients were the De Krans Touriga Nacional 2018 (91 points), Garden Route Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (90 points) and the De Krans Tritonia

Not only regarded as SA’s leading port producer, but also for their numerous accolades, De Krans Wines can confidently add Top 10 winner to their list for the Tritonia Red 2017, which recently secured a spot in the annual Prescient Red Blend Report for 2020. The annual report was convened by Winemag.co.za, and this year there were 45 entries received from 39 producers, of which 27 scored 90+ on the 100-point quality scale, as tasted blind by a three-person panel. The panel was chaired by well-known industry influencer Christian Eedes, who was joined in the judging process by Roland Peens and James Pietersen, both of Wine Cellar. The Tritonia Red

De Krans, widely known as being one of SA’s leading port-style wine producers, recently welcomed the wonderful news of having earned top praise at this year’s 2020 National Wine Challenge Awards/ Top 100 SA Wines. Both their Cape Vintage Reserve 2017 port-style wine and Touriga Nacional 2018 dry red wine were awarded the Grand Cru National Champion Best in Class titles (Best in Category) as well as a Double Platinum and position on the sought-after Top 100 SA Wines for 2020. The flagship dry red Tritonia Red (Calitzdorp blend) 2017 was also a recipient of a Double Platinum as well as securing a spot on the Top 100 list. The awards were announced

Winter is that time of the year where our social lives go into unofficial hibernation and we tend to stay in, develop our home cooking skills and spend our evenings sipping delicious drinks in front of the fireplace, snuggled up under a blanket. During the past decade port-style wines have both managed to evolve in its versatility, such as the De Krans Cape Pink which is used as a cocktail mixer, and expanded on the traditional styles, for example tweaking a Cape Vintage to produce a lovely and unique dessert wine called Espresso.  It is also almost 10 years since the EU agreement that every port-style wine bottled

Although De Krans is synonymous with producing award-winning port-style wines, they have really managed to extend their relationship with Portuguese cultivars beyond their fortified range, resulting in a diverse and unique range of dry, still wines, known as the Terroir range. Appropriately so, since the Calitzdorp terroir is so similar to that of the Douro Valley in Portugal, making it a perfect area to produce quality wines from Portuguese varieties. The first Portuguese grape vines planted in 1973 at De Krans in Calitzdorp, were actually intended to be Shiraz grapes. Only when the first grapes were harvested a few years later, were these vines discovered to be Tinta Barocca,

A Twist of Fate, a blend between Portuguese grape varieties Tinta Barocca and Tinta Amarela, forms part of the De Krans Terroir Range. A Twist of Fate is a lighter style red wine, which is arguably comparable to a Pinot Noir in terms of style and use. The concept behind this wine was to produce a lighter style red wine, which should be served chilled, making this wine perfect for those warmer days. Free run juice is used resulting in delicious strawberry and cherry flavours with a lovely earthiness, hints of spice and a subtle oak character. Retailing for approximately R92 per bottle, A Twist of Fate pairs perfectly

De Krans Wines has expanded its Moscato range with the release of the Muscat Nectar Alcohol-Free Sparkling. This refreshing alcohol-free Muscat Nectar consists of 100% muscat grapes with a slight fizz added when bottled. The Muscat Nectar has lovely tropical fruit flavours with muscat tones and a balanced acidity. Similar to the De Krans White and Red Moscato Perlé, the Muscat Nectar Alcohol- Free Sparkling will no doubt appeal to those preferring a slightly sweeter, fizzy option either on a menu or on the shelf. The Alcohol-Free Sparkling Muscat Nectar retails for approximately R58 per bottle, and is best enjoyed chilled, on its own, or served with fresh summer salads,

De Krans Wine Cellar, situated in Calitzdorp along the Route 62, has again received a five-star rating, this time for its Cape Vintage Reserve 2017 port-style wine in the latest edition of the authoritative and internationally recognized Platter’s by Diners Club South African Wine Guide 2020, due for release this month. The results were announced on Friday, 8 November at an event held in Cape Town, which was attended by members of the wine and media industries. A total of 125 five star wines were awarded the coveted five star status this year. This port-style wine is no stranger to awards having won a Double Gold at this year’s