Dear De Krans Wine Club Member
While there have been whispers of cold over the last month it certainly seems like winter has arrived in full force last week. The rainy and cold weather has certainly inspired us to start thinking all things winter wines, whether it is sipping on your favourite red like our Basket Press Cabernet Sauvignon, cooking with port-style wines like our Cape Ruby, or enjoying a glass of Cape Vintage paired with a rich chocolate dessert or matured-cheese board. We love winter. There is a calm and a clarity that allows us to slow down, reflect and savour cozy and special moments with our loved ones. Winter is also a time of deep gratitude as we are confronted by the injustice and the suffering around us – may we turn our gratitude into awareness and action. May we embrace this season and not only turn inwards to reflect but also turn towards each other for warmth and love. Whether you enjoy Winter’s hibernation and like spending your days under the blankets in front of the fireplace (thank you, working from home), get into the spirit of slow cooking and soup making, or decide to brave the weather and go out with friends and family, we hope your days are filled with love and light.
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After the good rains during the last quarter of 2021, that resulted in full irrigation dams (the first time since March 2014!), we can now focus on replanting some of our vineyards this winter. Varieties to be planted will include Pinotage (for Rosé), Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat Blanc, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barocca. We trust that our production will start increasing within the next 3-4 years. We are really very thankful that we can start looking forward again after this devastating drought that lasted from 2016-2021, incidentally exactly 100 years after the worst drought on record in Calitzdorp, from 1915-1921.
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We are extremely excited about the upcoming Calitzdorp Expressed Festival from 17 – 19 June. This annual festival, formerly known as the Port Festival, takes place every year in winter and is a highlight on the Calitzdorp calendar. Come taste our wide variety of award-winning wines from the Friday to Sunday and enjoy a delicious cappuccino, breakfast or lunch at our Bistro. Take some time before or after lunch to browse through the art exhibition featuring works of local artists. On Friday and Saturday we will have a cocktail bar, where you will have the opportunity to meet our winemaker, Christoff de Wet and his cellar team. Saturday will kick off with a 5km, 10km and a 21km trail run at 9am, followed by live music by Guy Feldman from 10am – 4pm. On Sunday we also celebrate Father’s Day where every dad eating at the Bistro will receive a complimentary glass of wine from our Classic Varietal Range. We can’t wait to see you to celebrate winter and have fun.
Remember to also save the dates of the De Krans Blossom Festival on 3 September and the popular Calitzdorp Succulent Festival which takes place from 16 – 18 September 2022. Please note that dates are subject to change and we will announce any last-minute updates on our social media platforms.
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We are open seven days a week and will be open 16 June.
Tasting room: Mondays – Saturdays 9am – 4.30pm, Sundays 9am – 4pm
Bistro and Deli: Mondays – Sundays 9am – 4pm (kitchen closes at 3.30pm)
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While most of us probably suffer from Zoom fatigue at this moment, there is no doubt that the focus on online platforms have brought about many benefits. A place where we can share information, exchange ideas and get to hear feedback from those who visited us. We are so grateful for every person taking the time to write about their experience online and we are overwhelmed and deeply grateful for all the positive feedback. Hereby a few of our favourite, recent google reviews:
"Had a lovely cheese platter under the vines. Good wines and enjoyed their P&T."
"Friendly service, good wines, lovely town."
"Enjoyed the fun of picking the Apricots. Loved the Hamburger it's a must try."
"Beautiful setting in a winery. Wine tasting on premises"
"Sitting under the cool orchard was a well appreciated relief from the scorching heat. Don't forget to buy a box of grape juice. You will not regret it."
Follow us on social media for regular updates on all upcoming events, and remember to write a review after visiting us – we love to hear from you.
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The New Vintage
With 2020 being the maiden vintage of the new flagship white wine De Krans Tritonia Verdelho single variety, the new 2021 vintage couldn’t come soon enough. A replacement of the Tritonia White Blend, this wine has delicious flavours of ripe melon, lime, apricots and toasted almonds on the palate with a bouquet of ripe fruit, dried orange, nuts and soft oak. Regardless of having spent 12 months in 3rd and 4th fill barrels, the wine has a surprising refreshing acidity. This wine pairs perfectly with seafood dishes like salmon and sea trout, as well as slow roasted pork loin, or Cape Malay curry.
The New Release
Our new Garden Route Shiraz 2020 has just been released. The grapes are sourced from a vineyard approximately 550m above sea level in the Kammanassie foothills near De Rust in the Klein Karoo. This wine has a dark plum ruby colour, with aromas of black currants and plums, cherry tobacco and fine white pepper. The palate has fresh plums and spice with hints of mulberry and cherry. The wine has smooth well-structured tannins and integrated acidity resulting in an excellent ageing potential. It is best served with steaks and cream peppercorn sauce, or roasted rack of lamb, with a red wine jus. This Shiraz replaces the Garden Route Pinot Noir, which is not produced anymore.
The Foodie Wine
Known as one of the building blocks in making any port-style wine, the De Krans Touriga Nacional was first planted at De Krans in 1994 after which the first single varietal wine was produced in South Africa in 2000. After spending 12 months in 4th and 5th fill French oak barrels, this 2018 vintage produces a beautiful dark plum red colour with complex flavours of dark berries, violets, white pepper and toasted oak on the nose. For those completely unfamiliar with Portuguese varieties, a dry red wine made of a Portuguese variety really is the best of both worlds, with its undeniable “port” characteristics of black currents, dried prunes, dark chocolate and cherry cigar, together with the balanced acidity and smooth, integrated tannin of a full-bodied red wine. This silky smooth red is easy and delicious to enjoy on its own, but really comes into its own right when paired with dishes like venison, ostrich, springbok and roasted lamb shank.
The Sweet Tooth
Looking for something sweet after dinner, or for a wine to pair with your favourite dessert? Look no further than the De Krans Cape Vintage 2018. This port-style wine is packed with intense fruit flavours of violets, red berries, dried prunes, cocoa and spice. The wine has a well-balanced tannin structure and a dry finish. This fortified wine consists of the five main Portuguese grape varieties used to produce a port and includes the Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barocca, Tinta Roriz, TInta Amarella and Souzao. The Cape Vintage has a rich, deep purple-red colour and perfectly pairs with well-matured cheeses, as well as desserts like Crème Brulee, Malva Pudding and Chocolate Fondant.
The Perfect Gift
The De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2018 is not only our flagship port-style wine, but it also makes an excellent gift – something to keep in mind for Father’s Day around the corner. This port-style wine was chosen as the best fortified wine in South Africa by Tim Atkin MW in his annual SA report. This wine also received a Platter’s 5-star rating, already the 12th 5-star rating for this flagship port-style wine.
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Two people will be the lucky winners of our Winter Giveaway, each getting a mixed case of port-style wines.
To stand a chance to win, complete the short questionnaire >>
The competition will close on Tuesday 28 June and the two lucky winners will be announced on the 30th of June.
All persons over the age of 18, with a valid South African delivery address, are eligible to enter.
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As we all know, fuel prices have increased dramatically to new record levels this month. Unfortunately this has a huge impact on courier costs in South Africa. As we use couriers to deliver our wines all over South Africa, we have no alternative than to change the following Wine Club rule as from the 1st June to the following:
· The minimum value of an order to qualify for free delivery nationwide is changed to R2000, to compensate for the higher basic courier costs.
· For orders with a value of less than R2000, the delivery cost will have to be paid by the wine club member. We shall calculate a delivery quote based on your delivery address and send that to you.
The rest of the Wine Club rules and benefits stay exactly the same as follows:
· No cost to become a member!
· 20% discount on ALL online wine orders done on the De Krans website (when logged in with your De Krans Wine Club User Account), as well as when wine is bought at De Krans cellar door by any wine club member.
· To activate membership (and the 20% discount) a minimum initial order of R1000 worth of wine is required.
· To stay a member, you have to buy at least R2000 worth of wine per calendar year. This can be any wines of your choice, on offer on the De Krans Website or at De Krans cellar door, that are available at that stage.
· Complimentary wine tasting (any 6 wines) for you and your guests (max 2 people) when visiting De Krans.
· Receive our quarterly newsletter with information from our cellar, farm, awards and accolades, activities, tasting notes and planned events.
· This membership offer is only available to private individuals with a delivery address in South Africa.
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.
Please note that, regardless of the value of your order, we will only be able to courier wine in multiples of 6 bottles (a full case) to minimize breakages.
