De Krans Premium Port-style and Tonic cocktail
– A story of love and innovation
At De Krans Wines, port- style wines are part of our heritage. It was inevitable really, with our climate and our soil, that we would gravitate towards Portuguese grape varieties. It is how we came to be who we are today – one of the most awarded and respected port-style wine and Portuguese dry wine producers in South Africa. Above all, we love port-style wines. We are passionate about it, and like anything in life, if you are passionate about something, you want to share that passion, that love. You want others to experience it, and to fall in love, too. That’s how the De Krans P&T (Port-style and Tonic cocktail) was born – a love story for the ages, a passion burning so bright that it needed to be shared. A gentle passing of the torch from the old to the young – so that they, too, may come to love and appreciate port-style wines. At De Krans Wines, port- style wines are our heritage. It is also our future. It may not be the future we envisioned, but sometimes, if you are open to change and if you embrace uncertainty, you may end up pleasantly surprised, and perhaps even more passionate than ever.
Traditionally, port-style wines have been mostly associated with an after-dinner drink. However, there are actually numerous ways of serving the different styles of port. Due to higher alcohol and sugar content, consumption of port and port-style wines have been somewhat stagnant in the past decade, with very little growth in volume. Another reason for the relatively small growth in the port-style market is that the younger generation especially tend to shy away from port, due to the above and the perception of port being an “old man’s drink”.
De Krans Wines in Calitzdorp has always been in the forefront of innovation in the South African Wine Industry. It was the first producer to launch a Cape Pink port-style wine in 2008, as well as the first to produce a Sparkling Natural Sweet Moscato in 2012. Now, after more than a year of planning, the De Krans Port-style and Tonic (in short De Krans P&T ™) is born. As most consumers already know, we are not allowed to use the word Port on the label, but we are sure that consumers will soon understand, enjoy and embrace what P&T is all about.
Why a P&T? Created to contribute to de-mystifying port-style wines, consumers, especially the younger generation who enjoy cocktails and ready-to-drink beverages (RTD’s), will no doubt welcome the opportunity to try this exciting, new way of enjoying port-style wines, as this product will also increase the accessibility of the port-style category to a much broader, and younger audience. What better way to combine the old and the new than presenting De Krans Cape White port-style wine (made from 56 year old Malvasia Rei vines) in the form of an RTD, resulting in South Africa’s first P&T, or Port-style and Tonic. We have also realized that consumers actually want to try a lovely, chilled port-style cocktail, but may end up not wanting to blend it themselves. This is where this attractive and convenient 275ml glass bottle of De Krans P&T comes in – it is ready-to-drink! We recommend serving this premium RTD super chilled as is or spice it up and add your own garnish to enhance the flavour and taste.
What makes our P&T so special? The De Krans Premium P&T™ is the only ready-to-drink port-style wine and tonic in South Africa. This is a sparkling, naturally sweet, premixed product with an alcohol of 6%. It boasts fresh flavours of passion fruit, pineapple, peaches and citrus, with the iconic and familiar bitterness of the tonic flavour on the aftertaste. We are proud to announce that all the flavourings are natural and that no artificial flavours are used. With a good acidity and balancing sugar content coming from the Cape White, this is a delicious, exciting new product to celebrate life’s moments – it doesn’t matter how big or small. The De Krans P&T is packaged in a 275ml flint bottle with a silver crown cap. Available in four-bottle carry packs as well as 24-bottle (6 x 4-bottle) cases at select retailers nationwide, directly off the farm or via our online shop. The De Krans P&T has a plastic-free packaging that is 100% recyclable, and retails for approximately R35 per bottle.