Calitzdorp became South Africa’s capital of fortified, port-style wines partly by accident, successfully so mostly due to its Klein Karoo soils, climate and terrain — those things that make up terroir — being remarkably similar to the traditional home of Port, the Douro Valley of Portugal.
The “accident” happened in the first planting of grapes in Calitzdorp in 1973 by the Nel brothers (whose offspring now own De Krans and Boplaas), thinking that Shiraz could do as well in their climate as it was similarly doing in the Swartland.
Turned out, when harvesting the first grapes a few years later, that they had actually been sold Tinta Barocca vines, one of the mainstays of Port wine making, and that Portuguese grapes did really well in their climate.
And the rest as they say is history, as the Nels and Calitzdorp turned to port and became world-renowned for it.
Another interesting similarity with the Douro is that the making of table wines (that is unfortified, not port-style) in the Portuguese region, the world’s oldest demarcated wine region, has only really come into its own as quality worth noting since the 1990s and production of port and table wine in the Douro is now about evenly split.
At the same time, the Calitzdorp winemakers planting new Portuguese varieties to add dimension and complexity to their ports also started using them for table wines and winemakers like De Krans owner Boets Nel have slowly but steadily grown the area’s reputation for quality wine alongside its port-style cousin.
Though they do also make wine from non-Portuguese grapes, and very well too, the Terroir range from De Krans highlights the diversity and quality of single-varietal wines and blends made in the Calitzdorp climate from Portuguese cultivars — from lighter styles through to big, bold blockbusters.
Celebrating that first happy accident, A Twist of Fate 2018 (around R90) is made from Tinta Barocca and Tinta Amarela (another twist in the tale in that the latter was mistaken for Tinta Roriz when first planted) and it really is a wine to put on your must-try list.
You could call it “the Pinot Noir of the Karoo” with its bright, translucent cherry red colour and sweet berry aromas echoed in the strawberries and cherries in the glass, silkiness underpinned with savoury spiciness, subtle leatheriness — delicious, especially very lightly chilled, versatile and easy drinking.
Touriga Nacional 2017 (R145) is altogether different — full-bodied, dark and complex, fleshy texture with vibrant plummy fruit, toasty oak, peppery spice and a touch of vanilla, a hint of dark chocolate lingering, smooth and balanced — a big mouthful of well-balanced flavour.
Touriga Nacional dominates in the flagship Tritonia Red 2017 (R235), with Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barocca and Tinta Amarela rounding out an elegant Calitzdorp blend with a Platter’s 4.5-star rating.
Full-bodied, lots of bold fruit going on, balanced with earthy, savoury notes, violets and cloves, tannins structured and oak well integrated for a glass with loads of interest and a wine made to age gracefully.
For lovers of a big Cab or a spicy Shiraz, this is something different well worth exploring.
The “golden thread” of dryness and herbal and spice notes makes all of these great food wines, especially with bold flavours and local specialities like venison (Springbok carpaccio highly recommended), ostrich, lamb chops on the braai or a slow-braised lamb shank, as well as with smoky and spicy meats like chorizo and salami.