JUST WHEN you think you’ve heard about, seen or drunk every port-style fortified wine from Boplaas Family Vineyards in Calitzdorp, along comes another. And the point can be well made by way of their fine Tawny, which is rather topical of late. According to their pricelist and website, the Nel family is currently selling a non-vintage Boplaas Cape Tawny for R100 a bottle. However, over the years there has also been a vintage-dated Cape Tawny, a vintage Cape Tawny Reserve, a Cape Tawny Reserve NV, a Cape Tawny Vintner’s Reserve vintage and non-vintage, a Cape Tawny Vintner’s Selection plus a Cape Tawny Show Reserve. And most recently on the radar: Bin 1880.

The ‘Boplaas Cape Tawny Vintner’s Reserve Bin 1880 NV’ – which won a double gold medal at the 2014 Veritas Awards – has been declared best wine overall at the 2015 Port & Wine Challenge staged by the Cape Port Producers Association in Paarl, hosted at Nederburg… They don’t usually make any port at Nederburg, although they do at another Distell winery in Paarl, namely Monis, which wasn’t entered in the Challenge this year. As it transpired, KWV was the only Paarl representative, and there was only a trio of Stellenbosch participants in a competition dominated by wine producers located in South Africa’s ‘Port Capital’ that is Calitzdorp – namely Axe Hill, Peter Bayly, the Calitzdorp Wine Cellar, De Krans and Boplaas.

For port lovers wanting to savour the full extent of the Boplaas magic and frustrated at the thought of having missed out or having to wait, it helps to know that they don’t list everything that there is for sale. Besides the current releases, more recent bottlings are available on request at similar prices and certain older wines can be bought at a premium. For instance, whereas only the 2011 Cape Vintage Reserve is listed at R175, in fact the 2012 and 2013 vintages can also be bought at this price, with small quantities of the 2008 and 2009 available for R350 a bottle, the 2006 for R550 and the 2003 for R1200 a bottle. The trophy-winning Bin 1880 sells in 375ml bottles at R200 each.

Amazingly, in the Museum Class comprising ports made from grapes harvested more than 10 years ago and typically long since sold out ex-cellar, the winning wine, a KWV Tawny, is still available for purchase nearly 70 years down the line from the company’s Wine Emporium in Paarl – for R6500 a bottle! 750ml, in a wooden box!!

For more info about the Challenge, enquire here. For the names of the top performers at the 2015 Port Challenge exclusively for SA wine producers, see below – prices included with all top ratings showcased on Top Wine SA:

CAPE TAWNY GOLD MEDALLISTS

Boplaas Cape Tawny Vintner’s Reserve Bin 1880 NV (Class Winner, Overall Winner)
KWV Classic Collection Cape Tawny NV

CAPE VINTAGE GOLD MEDALLISTS

Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2013 (Class Winner)
Axe Hill Cape Vintage 2012 (Runner-Up)
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2012 (Runner-Up)
Peter Bayly Cape Vintage 2010 (Runner-Up)
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2012
Badsberg Cape Vintage 2009

CAPE RUBY GOLD MEDALLISTS

Groot Constantia Cape Ruby 2013 (Class Winner)

MUSEUM CLASS GOLD MEDALLISTS

KWV Tawny Port 1948 (Class Winner)
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2004 (Runner-Up)
Peter Bayly Cape Vintage 2005
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2002