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