A Boplaas wine has emerged as best performer among the ports at the SA Terroir Awards, announced this week in Stellenbosch. The 2007 Cape Tawny Colheita was singled out at the 19th presentation of winners.
Significantly, the competition only considers entries certified as single-vineyard, estate-produced wine and from a ward or undivided district like Calitzdorp. “The show is important because it showcases not only the soils, climate and aspect that make good wines, but also recognizes the potential we see in our farmlands,” says Boplaas’s Carel Nel.
“To us, winning at the SA Terroir Awards is a validation of the quality underscoring the entire Boplaas portfolio.”
The 2007 Cape Tawny Colheita follows in the footsteps of the classic 2005 vintage wine that was rated best SA Port by Tim Atkin, was awarded Double Gold at Veritas and received five stars in the 2023 Platter’s wine guide. The port also scored 95 in a rating by the American Robert Parker Wine Advocate – one of the world’s most influential platforms.
Boplaas has featured at the SA Terroir Awards on several occasions since the show’s establishment in 2006. In addition to its wines, Boplaas ports were top performers in 2007, 2018, and 2022, winning the competition’s category trophy in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
The achievements add to a long and proud history of Boplaas under the stewardship of the Nels and specifically Carel Nel, a pioneer of amongst others, quality port wines in South Africa. It was his father who first planted varieties traditionally used in Portugual for the making of port wine, but it was under Carel that Boplaas port became an industry benchmark.
For the making of the 2007 Colheita, Tinta Barocca and Touriga Nacional varieties were used. The grapes were picked optimally ripe and fermented in traditional open lagars. After fortification, the wine was then aged for 16 years in old Portuguese and French oak barrels.
The wine has a classic tawny colour with rich aromas and flavours of nuts, caramel, dried apricots and brandy-enriched fruit cake. Prolonged ageing has seamlessly integrated all its components, delivering a rewarding and lingering finish.
Its acclaim includes Gold at Veritas. It was rated Best SA Port by the National Wine Challenge.
This latest award comes in line with consistent achievement for Boplaas, especially for wines made from traditional Portuguese varieties. Their success in Calitzdorp may be ascribed to the region’s similarities to the country on the Iberian Peninsula. Both have a semi-arid climate, have broad biodiversity and are characterized by diverse soils as well as rivers flowing through mountain valleys and rolling hills. Added to this is experience and deep understanding of the land by the Nels, accumulated since the family came to the farm in 1880.
As a result, Boplaas ports remain highly prized among aficionados around the world, with older specimens being sought-after collectors’ items. The Boplaas range includes Cape Vintage, Cape Tawny and Cape Ruby as well as a Cape Chocolate Port.
The wines are available for purchase via the Boplaas online shop at www.boplaas.co.za, or at Boplaas’s several tasting rooms situated on the farm in Calitzdorp and along the Cape’s famous Garden Route. The 2007 Cape Tawny Colheita is not yet available for purchase.
For more information, visit the website, email to admin@boplaas.co.za or call 044 213 3326.