As we are writing this newsletter, we are wrapping up harvest and moving into Easter season with the Autumn weather quietly beckoning – here’s hoping, with summer temperatures in the whole of the Western Cape having us wishing for a cold and wet winter in front of the fireplace. We just love Autumn in the Klein Karoo – the days are warm and sunny, with cooler nights, and we can sleep sound knowing the grapes are all safely in the cellar. With the changing of the leaves from green to brown and yellow, a greater sense of calm comes over the farm, allowing us to take a breath, reflect and dive deep into the cellar process of winemaking. However, we can’t say goodbye to summer without taking this opportunity to thank each and every person who visited the farm over the summer season. We thank you for your continued and loyal support.
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Looking back at the almost finished 2024 harvest, we are really thankful for the biggest crop since 2017, just before the drought started. Although not as big as anticipated due to a very warm and dry second half of February, the quality looks very promising at this stage. Luckily, it was also an early harvest, with most of our white grape varieties harvested before mid-February, so these wines are fresh and flavourful, showing lots of promise. The red varieties, especially the Portuguese red varieties, can usually handle the heat much better, so the red and port-style wines are looking very good, with excellent colour, good varietal aromas and structure.
This vintage was also a very challenging one for our winemaker Christoff de Wet and his team, as well as the viticultural team under Stroebel and Chris Nel. Grapes ripened very quickly, so to get all the grapes into the cellar at optimum ripeness was a serious challenge this year. Through perseverance, very long hours and meticulous planning, they managed to do so!
We also had two visitors from overseas in the cellar this year to see how things are done at De Krans. Fabian Butz comes from Buchenländerhof, their family wine farm in Norheim in the Nahe in Germany. Fabian is really a very knowledgeable and hard worker, so we are thankful that he has chosen to join us for a vintage in Calitzdorp. Allyssa Rued, from her family farm, Rued Winery in Sonoma, California, USA also joined us for a shorter period and we really enjoyed her stay here with us. Good friendships made, great ideas learnt from each other. We can already see that our permanent cellar team are all so much better in English than a few weeks ago.
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From 3 February to 3 March we hosted yet another successful Hanepoot picking, where visitors had the opportunity to pick their own Hanepoot grapes. We were absolutely stunned by the overwhelmingly positive response and enjoyed welcoming each and every one of you to the farm. We trust you enjoyed the unique experience of spending time in nature and that you were able to share this experience with friends and family. We also hosted our very first Hanepoot trail run on 10 February and what a fantastic day this was for all involved. Runners were treated to a cool morning in the Klein Karoo and a unique route through orchards, lush vineyards and muddy gravel road with amazing scenery and of course, Hanepoot grapes to nibble on at the water points. The trail run ended with plenty of prizes and lucky draw giveaways were up for grabs. Another big thank you to our partners, Jakhals Events for handling everything so professionally and effortlessly – we can’t wait for the next one.
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We look forward to welcoming you to the farm for the annual Winter Festival in Calitzdorp, the Calitzdorp Expressed from 15-17 June. Be sure to diarise Saturday, 15 June, when we will be hosting our traditional Winter trail run, once again with great prizes and lucky draw giveaways. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram where more information about this event and festival will follow. Join us on Sunday 16 June for a day of live music, good food and great wine.
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While we love having people on the farm where they have the opportunity to taste our wines, stock up on their favourites and learn more about the De Krans story, we realize that not everyone can make the trip to the beautiful Klein Karoo. We are excited this autumn to share our wines with the trade and customers in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Namibia, as well as attending Prowein in March, the biggest wine trade show in the world in Düsseldorf, Germany. We relish the opportunity to share our wines, gain insights into domestic and export markets and learn more about both the South African and global wine industry.
We are also super excited to announce that we will be launching brand new labels of both our Premium Moscato Range and our Port-style range, beginning March/April and June/July, respectively. Together with this, we will also be releasing our brand new logo. We believe we have found the right balance between staying true to our heritage and our brand identity, while giving the wines a fresh, modern look. It has been more than 10 years since we first launched the Premium Moscato White in 2012, and what better way to say thank you for such loyal support over the years than a fresh and beautiful new label design.
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Autumn is the perfect combination of warm days and cooler nights, with summer salads being swopped for slow cooked, hearty dishes packed with flavour and allowing for an endless variety of food and wine pairings. Our Autumn wine selection vary from something sweet with bubbles, to a serious red blend, perfect for the changing of the seasons. We hope you are inspired by our selection and that it encourages you to try something new:
Perfect as a welcoming drink or pre-drink, the Premium Moscato Rosé 2023 is best served in a champagne glass and can be enjoyed on its own or paired with a hearty salad, charcuterie and cheese platter or a mild spicy dish. The Moscato, made using Hanepoot, Muscadel and a little bit of Pinotage has a delicious natural sweetness with flavours of candy floss and red berries, with a nice, balanced acidity. The bubbles do not only make it super festive but also very refreshing. With its lower alcohol of 9%, this wine really is perfect for every occasion and celebration.
When it gets to more interesting white wines, look no further than the Tritonia Verdelho 2022, made from the wonderful Portuguese grape variety, Verdelho. This dry, white wine is soft and elegant with beautiful flavours of orange blossoms, honeysuckle, orange peel and toasted almonds on the nose and ripe fruit, dried orange, nuts and soft oak on the palate. The wine has a balanced acidity and has a complex mouthfeel with a smooth and subtle aftertaste. The wine has spent 12 months in 3rd and 4th fill barrels and is the perfect accompaniment with seafood like salmon, snoek terrine, sea trout, as well as a slow roasted pork loin or Cape Malay curry.
When it comes to the red counterpart of the Tritonia Verdelho, we are excited to feature the Tritonia Red (Calitzdorp Blend) 2022 – the De Krans flagship red wine. A beautiful, complicated blend made up of Portuguese varieties Touriga Nacional (78%), Tinta Roriz (20%) and a little bit of Tinta Barocca. The different grapes are vinified separately with a blend made up before bottling, after spending 12 months in oak. The wine boasts flavours of violets, dark chocolate and spice, with dark fruit and savoury notes on the palate. The wine pairs well with venison, ostrich fillet, roasted leg of lamb or beef fillet, and has fantastic ageing potential.
The Tinta Roriz 2020 is truly something unique and the perfect wine to take with for a dinner with family or friends. Made of 100% Tinta Roriz, this Portuguese variety, that is a synonym of Tempranillo as it is known in Spain, is known for its deep dark red colour and good tannin structure. This wine is a delight for all foodies and while it pairs well with a simple fillet or roasted lamb chops, it will no doubt elevate dishes such as springbok carpaccio, or pan seared kudu steak. The Tinta Roriz is a full-bodied red wine with soft red fruit flavours, earthiness, roasted coriander, vanilla and cassis with chewy tannins on the palate. This wine is available exclusively from the cellar, so be sure not to miss a chance to taste this wine, by including it in your order.
Of course, we can’t have any selection without at least one port-style wine, with the featured port-style wine for Autumn being the Cape Vintage 2019. The Cape Vintage is the perfect port for dessert pairings such as chocolate fondant, chocolate brownies, crème brûlée or a cheese platter with well-matured cheese. On warmer days, serve it chilled and pair with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Although the Cape Vintage is a sweet wine, De Krans port-style wines always surprises with a refreshing and balanced acidity and finish, without being overly sweet.
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Two people will be the lucky winners of our Autumn Giveaway where each person will receive a mixed case of our Autumn selection, as well as a mixed case of our Premium Moscato Range showcasing the new labels. To stand a chance to win, simply place an order to the value of R2000 and you could be the lucky winner. The competition will close on 1 April and the two winners will be announced on the 4th of April. All persons over the age of 18, with a valid South African delivery address, are eligible to enter.
Order wine to a minimum value of R2000 and receive a FREE door-to-door delivery nationwide (one delivery address per order). Should your order be for less than R2000, we are happy to calculate a delivery quote based on your delivery address. We will then furnish you with a pro forma invoice with our banking details. After payment, you will receive a Tax invoice. Please note that regardless of the value of your order, we will only courier wine in multiples of 6 bottles (a full case) to minimize breakages.
We wish you a wonderful Easter with family and friends – travel safely.
Warm regards,
The De Krans Team