Winemaker: Christoff de Wet
Appellation: Calitzdorp
Grape varietal: Touriga Nacional

Calitzdorp is well known for quality wines and ports made from Portuguese varietals. De Krans planted its first Touriga Nacional vineyard in 1994 and made the first single varietal wine in South Africa in 2000. The continental climate of Calitzdorp is like the dry hot climate of the Douro valley in Portugal where these vines originates from.  Planted in shallow Karoo clay soils with east-west facing rows and micro irrigation these vines thrive under the hot dry Karoo sun to produce berries of world class quality.

Grapes were hand harvested end February at 24^o Balling.  Bunches were de-stemmed, crushed and rapidly cooled in an open fermenter. Grapes were inoculated with selected yeasts to start fermentation.  Skins were then pressed and the wine was left to undergo malolactic fermentation before it was racked into 4^th and 5^th fill French oak barrels for maturation in these barrels for 12 months.