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SOUTH AFRICA
– SPIRITS –
that certain cultivar that’s available. That’s their biggest
challenge. A few years ago you could have differentiated a
lot between the two, but now there is hardly any difference.
The smaller guys are catching up.’
NEW FRONTIERS
It’s interesting to note that excellent quality is also coming
from the Northern Cape, a vast thirstland where thousands
of hectares of vines grow along the Orange River, running
through the so-called Green Kalahari. Sourcing grapes from
580 grape producers, Orange River Cellars has achieved
an impressive 90-point rating for its Bontstaan VSOP,
aged in French and American oak for five years and
proudly stating 100% Potketel/Handgemaak (Afrikaans for
Potstill/Handmade). Kobus Gelderblom is involved in the
blending of Bontstaan, as he is with Die Kalahari Truffel,
the potketelbrandewyn produced by another Orange River
wine farm, Die Mas van Kakamas, owned by the Hanekom
family. ‘Kobus is one of the best in the industry and we are
very glad to have him as part of our brandy journey,’ says
Die Mas winemaker Andre Landman. ‘We have a great team
that works very hard to create and bottle the best. Anyone
can follow a recipe but if you don’t have passion for what
you do, you’ll never get to the top.’
‘The passion that our producers have definitely plays a role
in constantly producing very high quality brandies,’ says
Marlene Bester (Van Ryn’s). ‘I always say that when you
taste an SA potstill brandy, you can taste the SA sunshine
and the passion of our producers.’
United in this ‘passion’ for Cape Brandy, defined by
centuries-old techniques combined with the perfect
marriage of terroir and craftsmanship, members of the
Guild have spent five years lobbying the term ‘Cape Brandy’
to be legally recognised as a permissible alternative to
‘Potstill Brandy’, which describes the process but doesn’t
necessarily sound very premium. In August 2021 they
finally succeeded, with Danie Pretorius commenting:
‘We are very happy that the term Cape Brandy has
now been taken up in the Liquor Products Act as an
official descriptor for pot-distilled brandies from the Cape
provinces. Legal recognition is the first step in building a
premium, provenance-driven category for Cape Brandy,
which is literally the best in the world.’
Guild trustee Kobus Gelderblom is now an independent,
highly sought-after brandy consultant
Northern Cape brandy producer Die Mas van Kakamas is owned by the
Hanekom family: Vlok Senior (centre) with sons Vlok Junior and Coetzer
AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 111