Image thumbnail

Wine Club Newsletter Spring 2021

Dear De Krans Wine Club Member

It is hard to believe we are already almost halfway through spring. With the warmer weather and the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, it really feels like a re-emergence of some sort, as South Africans slowly seem to shake off the remnants of an extremely long, cold and challenging winter. Now that the sun is out, people want to connect, explore, catch up and have fun. We hope that we can be a part of your celebration – whether it is for a big occasion, a small occasion, a missed occasion, or merely the beauty of every day.

We would also like to thank everyone who visited us during our annual Blossom Festival over the last weekend in August. If the past two years have been any indication, always expect the unexpected. With one of the last cold fronts of the winter, the Blossom Festival felt more like a belated winter festival and even the blossoms arrived a bit late this year. We especially salute the brave souls who participated in the early fun run and we thank everyone who visited us over the weekend. In addition, the 2021 Calitzdorp Succulent Festival was held on 18 and 19 September and was a great success with many different activities hosted throughout town and of course, multiple amazing succulents available for purchase.  Thanks to everyone who included De Krans Wines in your visit. We are already looking forward to hosting and participating in these festivals again next year.

[ps2id id=’awards’ target=”/]

2021 Awards Season

As we find ourselves almost at the end of awards season, there is so much to be thankful for. Following winemaker Christoff de Wet’s only second harvest, we are extremely proud of all the accolades that have been awarded to De Krans Wines. These awards are a testament to hard work, team work, attention to detail and perseverance – especially in the face of challenging circumstances such as the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions on the wine industry, as well as the ongoing drought in the Klein Karoo region. We look forward to be able to share these award-winning wines with you when you place your order using the attached quick order form or by shopping online.

[ps2id id=’spring’ target=”/]

Tim Atkin South African Wine Report 2021

This year’s top scorer went to the Cape Vintage Reserve 2019, which scored an impressive 95 points. The Garden Route Sauvignon Blanc 2021 scored a well-deserved 90 points, with the yet-to-be-released Tritonia Verdelho 2020 receiving 92 points out of a possible 100. The Cape Vintage Reserve Port is best described as a big wine full of ripe dark fruit notes of plum, mulberry and black currants. Well-rounded with smooth dark chocolate undertones and firm tannins are prominent in this port-style wine that would mature well for over 30 years. Tim Atkin, a British Master of Wine and accomplished wine commentator with extensive experience of South African wines, tasted a total of 1 783 South African wines for his 2021 Special Report.

Klein Karoo Young Wine Show and SA Young Wine Show

De Krans Wines has reaffirmed its position as one of SA’s leading port producers, adding the title of 2021 SA Champion Port to its long list of prestigious accolades. This award was bestowed to the producer at the recent 2021 SA Young Wine Show, and this is the third time in four years that De Krans has been awarded the trophy. In addition to receiving the SA Champion Port Trophy, we were also awarded the title of Class Winner in the categories of Cape Ruby, Cape Vintage and Any Other Port, respectively.

In addition, De Krans Wines was anounced as Champion Private Cellar at the Klein Karoo Young Wine show and walked away with the trophy for Reserve Overall Champion Wine at the show with a port.  Wines entered in the Young wine show are wines that are produced in the same year that have not yet been released to the market.

Rosé Rocks Competition

For the 4th year in a row the De Krans Pinotage Rosé has been awarded the prestigious Double Gold medal at the 2021 Rosé Rocks Competition. This year the award was bestowed on the 2021 vintage. This competition is the first of its kind in SA, which is entirely dedicated to Rosé and seeks to not only acknowledge excellence in Rosé winemaking, but also to promote the category in SA. The competition was chaired by Norma Ratcliffe, who was joined on the judging panel by four other industry role players.

Vitis Vinifera Awards

De Krans Wines excelled at this year’s Vitis Vinifera Awards and took home Double Gold for the Basket Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Double Gold for the Garden Route Sauvignon Blanc 2021 and Gold for both the Pinotage Rosé and the A Twist of Fate 2019. The Vitis Vinifera Awards was established to recognize and award high-quality wines and grape derived spirits that are available to consumers. Wines were tasted by a panel of sommeliers, Cape Wine Masters and other industry experts.

GOLD Wine Awards

Several wines from De Krans were awarded a GOLD Wine Award including the Free Run Chenin Blanc 2021, Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2021, Pinotage Rosé 2021, Basket Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, A Twist of Fate 2019, and the Premium Cape Ruby. The GOLD Wine Awards celebrates wines to the value of R180 and below, with value for money being the main criteria. The wines were tasted blind with a panel of nine judges.

SAWi awards

We are proud to announce that the following wines were awarded Platinum status:

* Cape Vintage Reserve 100 points
* Touriga Nacional 98.2 points
* Limited Release Cape Tawny 96.7 points
* Tritonia Red (Calitzdorp Blend) 91.1 points

Very different to other awards and competitions, the SA Wine Index (SAWi) tracks multi-vintage wine performances and started in 2010, rolling over each year to make it current and to show up consistency in the quality of wines. SAWi uses an algorithm to determine points in which weights are applied to different local and international results and only blind tasting results are considered.

[ps2id id=’fruit’ target=”/]

Summer Fruit picking

One of the highlights on the calendar year for many loyal De Krans supporters is the annual fruit picking in summer. The season usually kicks off with apricot picking the last week of November through to the first week of December. Cling peaches are available for picking during the last two weeks of December, with the fruit picking season ending on a high note with the popular Hanepoot grapes picking for the month of February. Make De Krans Wines a part of your summer this year with fun for the whole family. Taste and stock up on our wide range of award-winning wines, and enjoy a delicious breakfast, lunch or a cheese and charcuterie platter at our bistro. Enjoy outside seating under the vines, browse through our deli for some local products, or take your time to enjoy a stroll through the vineyards on our official Vineyard Trail. With an outdoor chess board and a play area for the kids, everyone will be able to enjoy the farm experience together. Be sure to visit Calitzdorp Tourism’s website (www.calitzdorp.org.za) for more information regarding other activities and sightseeing in the area, as well as accommodation options.

Please note that fruit picking dates will be confirmed closer to the time on social media, via sms and in our summer newsletter. Dates are subject to change at short notice, and fruit picking is subject to availability. You are also welcome to phone the farm at 044 2133 314 to confirm dates closer to the time.

[ps2id id=’warmers’ target=”/]
Our spring suggestions

2021 was an outstanding vintage, with no heat waves over summer and relatively lower temperatures than the previous summer. The effect was that grapes had more time to ripen, resulting in excellent fruit concentration in all the white wines. As a result of the cooler summer, volumes were up slightly from 2020. Check out our spring selection of newly released vintages below:

De Krans Free-Run Chenin Blanc 2021 & De Krans Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2021

In producing the De Krans Free-Run Chenin Blanc 2021, only the free run juice of the grapes is used, which is the first batch of juice after the initial destemming and crushing of the grapes without pressing the wine. This reduces the risk of too many phenols in the juice, resulting in complex flavours of ripe tropical fruit, ripe banana, guava, passion fruit and hints of lime. The wine has a well-rounded mouth feel, smooth structure and refreshing, balanced acidity, and pairs well with fresh snoek, sushi, braaied chicken, summer salads and pasta.

The De Krans Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2021 is an unwooded wine that garners delicious rich and creamy flavours from the long fermentation period. No yeast is added at the beginning, resulting in natural fermentation over an extended period of about six weeks. This slow fermentation process allows the wine to develop a complex character, after which the wine spends another six months on fine lees before bottling. The wine has a beautiful light lime yellow colour, with citrus and butterscotch on the nose and lime, creamy butterscotch and grapefruit on the palate. The wine pairs well with most pasta and pizza dishes, as well as fish such as tuna or yellowtail.

De Krans Pinotage Rosé 2021

It isn’t ironic that the success of the De Krans Pinotage Rosé 2021, one of De Krans’ fastest growing wines, has coincided with the growth in the Rosé category around the world. Staying true to their heritage, De Krans has turned to Tinta Barocca grapes for making a Rosé, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Finally, De Krans settled on Pinotage grapes in 2016 as they simply result in the best colour and flavour combination. The De Krans Pinotage Rosé has a beautiful light rose petal, blush pink colour with rose petal, candy floss and strawberries on the nose, and fine, red fruit on the palate. The wine has a lively, well balanced acidity and pairs well with summer salads, grilled cob, fish cakes and snoek pâté.

De Krans Basket Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

The De Krans Basket Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a smooth, juicy and full-bodied wine that is great to enjoy on its own, yet pairs well with most pasta dishes, pizzas and a traditional South African braai. While still showcasing the traditional Cabernet characteristics, the wine has a smooth tannin structure and was made with the intention to drink at an earlier age and not be matured for too long. This smooth tannin structure is achieved by using an old basket press, imported from France in the 1950’s, which was originally used as a champagne press. The biggest percentage of this wine is aged in older French oak barrels and a small part in concrete tanks with French oak staves for approximately 12 months, before being bottled. The wine has delicious flavours of ripe berries, cassis, cedar spice and fresh prunes on the nose, and plum, mulberries, dark cherries and notes of cherry cigar on the palate.

De Krans A Twist of Fate 2019

The De Krans A Twist of Fate 2019 is a lighter style, red blend of Portuguese grape varieties Tinta Barocca and Tinta Amarela. The wine has a lovely cherry red colour with flavours of strawberries, red cherries, leather and oak, with red berries and spice on the palate with a refreshing acidity and balanced tannin structure. This unique wine also pays tribute to how the Port industry started in Calitzdorp, with the first Portuguese grapes planted in 1973 when Tinta Barocca was mistaken for Shiraz. Similarly in 2004, Tinta Amarela was planted, under the impression it was Tinta Roriz. There is nothing like a pleasant surprise to completely change the course of action, and in turn, history. This wine is best enjoyed chilled in summer.

Spring giveaway

Buy at least one case of the A Twist of Fate and stand a chance to win your own selection of De Krans wine to the value of R1 000. Competition closes Friday, 15 October 2021 and one winner will be selected at random.

 

Place your order now

Order wine to the minimum value of R1500 and receive FREE door-to-door delivery nationwide (one delivery address per order). Should your order be for less, 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. 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.

 

Once again we’d like to thank you for your support by visiting the farm, buying our wines in stores country-wide, or by shopping online. We look forward to share our wines with you and to welcome you to the farm, soon. 

Warm regards, 

The De Krans team