Port tasting in Calitzdorp
Port authority
A road trip along Route 62 to Calitzdorp is a rewarding experience, especially when capped with a guided tour by local Boets Nel at De Krans. By Leigh Robertson.
A flash of black leather and chrome, and they've gone; three bikers overtake me like bats out of hell, and then a dozen or so more appear in the rear-view mirror before vanishing in a puff of red dust. This is the way it goes on Route 62, with its surreally beautiful Little Karoo scenery and vertiginous mountain passes surely just waiting all these millennia for the invention of Harleys and other two-wheeled weekend playthings of Merc and SUV drivers.
With the windows wound down to take in the warm dry air and the music cranked up, the never-dull route must be a movie director's idea of a road trip come true, with no shortage of curious and rewarding stops along the way; who needs a Quickstop or Wimpy when you can stretch your legs and have an ice cold beer or glass of wine and above-average meal at several attractive options from Montagu, the "gateway" to the Karoo, through Barrydale and even Ladismith?
Ronnie's Sex Shop is one such spot, and as it comes into view I notice my biker "pals" pulling off helmets and gloves outside this famous haunt just a few kays' past Barrydale - and which, according to Ronnie's regular Beate Joubert from nearby Joubert-Tradauw Private Cellar, makes a mean margarita. (That's right - it's not actually a sex shop.)
But it turns out to be De Krans' newly launched Pink Port, a first in the country, which slakes my thirst after the four-hour drive from Cape Town. The mere thought of sipping Port in warm weather frankly leaves me cold, but this goes down a surprisingly refreshing treat on crushed ice, in the company of the affable Boets Nel.
De Krans's cellarmaster and co-owner (with his brother Stroebel, the farm's viticulturist) has taken time out from the final exhausting blitz of their harvest to chat about Port and life in Calitzdorp over lunch - he has much to be proud of, what with their Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2006 earning 5 Stars in the '09 Platter's guide as well as 4½ Stars in WINE magazine's latest Port category tasting (see page 74).
I can't help noticing that the same posse of bikers I passed so many times on the road is already assembled on the shaded stoep of Die Dorphuis, beers in hand, when we arrive. This is, apparently, where it all happens in this tiny dorp with its broekie lace-fronted houses painted in ice cream pastels, and gardens with electric pink and tangerine bougainvilleas. Pretty is an understatement, and Nel is quite proud to be able to show it off.
Port Capital
It's not surprising the word "oasis" is often used to describe the town. After Robertson, the vines gradually recede until just about all that's seen to be growing are spiky succulents. So it's a relief to be among the lushness of orchards and vineyards - although, as Nel reminds, wine farming pales against ostrich farming here, which accounts for as much as 80% of agricultural production.
Right in the hub of things, and a short walk from the town centre, are De Krans cellar and fellow Port heavyweight Boplaas, owned by close cousin Carel Nel. First impressions on entering the town were of an election of a different kind underway; lampposts and fences bearing political party-type posters remind you of the latest accolades of these friendly competitors: "Boplaas - Beste Kelder Veritas 2005." "Vote for De Krans." But seriously, while both these cellars have notched up a wealth of awards, it seems there's room for everyone in this self-styled "Port Capital", which is also home to Calitzdorp Wine Cellar, Axe Hill, Withoek, Peter Bayly and TTT Cellars (short for Things Take Time).
There's a strong sense of neighbourliness and community- mindedness here, and this is acutely felt ahead of the Port Festival, which sees fellow Port producers and just about every local pulling together. This year it's being held over the first weekend of May rather than the usual July, and Nel was one of the key motivators for the event, a huge tourism draw card, to be moved earlier. Nel is not alone in believing that tourism needs to be pushed: "Its growth area is better than that of agriculture," he says wryly. In their wider efforts to market the Klein Karoo as a winter destination ("there's no rain and the days are warm"), it made sense to have the Port Festival sooner, "as we're already guaranteed to get tourists then. And anyway, Calitzdorp is especially beautiful in autumn."
After lunch, Nel takes me around the old cellar with its thick cement walls and tanks, which, he explains, are just as hygienic as stainless steel tanks but have the added bonus of requiring a lot less energy to keep cool. "[Renowned UK wine writer] Jancis Robinson is advocating them these days as the carbon footprint is considerably lighter than stainless steel," he quips. He says this makes him feel "much better" when he compares De Krans to the state-of-the-art cellar at Tokara, where his elder daughter, an oenology student, is doing her practical.
The farm is as historic as it gets: the first in Calitzdorp, it dates back to 1757 and was bought by the Nel family in 1890. The cellar was built in 1964 "when cement was obviously very cheap". Fermentation takes place in low open tanks similar to the traditional Portuguese lagare; this allows for plenty of air contact with the skin, ensuring really good colour, Nel explains. There's no foot-stomping here, unlike at a few other farms in the area, with the cap punched down with a kind of paddle.
They also use a "very old" basket press, apparently the biggest in South Africa and as such requiring colossal amounts of manual labour to keep it clean and in good working order. "What I love about it is its soft pressing action; you'll never see an injured grape! It's a slow and very oxidative process, which is great for Port," he enthuses. "We spend a fortune maintaining it, but I will never throw it out; it's a big part of the tradition of our Port." Nel adds that they try to do "as much as they can" by hand and that he hopes they will never be forced to mechanise their farming operation; "putting back into the community" by creating jobs amid high unemployment is close to his heart.
Boets fetches glasses so we can taste from the tank, and the thrill on the palate of the ultra-young Ports is a fitting prelude to the intensive educational with the Cape Wine Master that follows in the charming tasting room with its reed ceiling and views over the vineyards and mountains.
Terroir and town eccentrics
Since 1985, most of the classic Portuguese Port and wine varieties have been planted, with De Krans the first to produce Touriga Naçional. "It's what I call the ‘Mercedes' of Port grapes, but without Tinta Barocca, you can never have a good Port. Tinta Barocca gives it wonderful structure otherwise you're left with a Port that's plump and flabby."
Working our way through a flight that includes their White (made from Chenin), top-selling and very friendly Cape Ruby, and Cape Tawny Ports, Nel admits to enjoying the Tawny the most, which he keeps in the fridge and drinks well-chilled any time of the year. Their fastest growing category, he says it's in line with changing perceptions about Port being a seasonal, as in winter, drink. In Calitzdorp we drink them considerably cooler than room temperature, which would otherwise be about.
Then it's on to the real show-off stuff, and he laughs when he says Vintage Port is really just "the poor man's Vintage Reserve". What the Vintage Ports lack is basically the concentration of the Reserves, which are made "in good years only" and from the better blocks. "But in Calitzdorp we have more good years than in Portugal, and we produce the Reserve six to seven years out of 10." We taste the '06, '03 and '01 Vintage Reserves, the last being "one of the nicest vintages", while he says the '06 is the "most accessible" of them all. "It's soft, maybe too soft," he says. ""But then, these are my ‘children', so I can be more critical!" And which is drinking really well now? "The '97, without a doubt!"
Later, we climb into Nel's bakkie and pass by the buildings of Axe Hill, now owned by Johannesburg businessman Mike Neebe, who bought it after the death of founder Tony Mossop, and who lends a hand with the winemaking (done by Mossop's son, Tokara winemaker Miles). Nel is also involved as vineyard manager, and says the town hasn't quite been the same since the late Mossop's passing.
Nel stops at friends Peter and Yvonne Bayly's somewhat remote but lovely home and tiny cellar for a short kuier, and is invited to sample their freshly pressed Ports. "There's an identity of spiciness, pepperiness and prunes that runs through all the wines of Calitzdorp," he says. "It's very much the terroir."
We continue our scenic journey through the Groenfontein valley, travelling along the foothills of the Swartberg. By sunset we pass the glowing Red Stone Hills, the curious red-hued rock formations found only in three locations in the world. "Even in Calitzdorp we're in the rat-race," says Nel. "I spend so much time doing marketing and admin stuff that there's not much leisure time to do things like this."
Over dinner Nel entertains with tales of village life and points out a few local characters, of which, it seems, Calitzdorp has no shortage. The three Vintage Reserve Ports tasted earlier have been brought along (they've opened up beautifully), and then Nel triumphantly produces the 1993 vintage, a brilliant finale. Made from 100% Tinta Barocca and browning somewhat on the rim, it's a magnificent example of the Port's ageing potential. "And it's still getting better," he grins.
