
Nearby farms: Orange River Cellars ,
The four wineries comprising the Orange River Wine Route in the arid Northern Cape are dotted over more than 350 kilometres, but all are close to the Gariep (Orange) River, whose micro-climate and soils enable the growth of the grapes. Their mainly white wines have a wide appeal across tastes and pockets, and cover the gamut from dry to naturally sweet, sparkling and dessert. This region is known for its wide-open spaces, breathtaking sunsets and starry nights.
South Africa's winelands are very different places. For the wine explorer, that's an exciting prospect but it's easy to be caught unaware. In the Cape, Klein Karoo and even KwaZulu-Natal, wine experiences are all within a relatively short drive from each other. In the Northern Cape – SA's most expansive and sparsely populated province - you'll need some extra planning.
Although a powerhouse of wine grape farming, the Northern Cape has only a handful of independent winery experiences in a radius of some 350km from Upington epicentre. By comparison, that same radius applied to Stellenbosch incorporates virtually every other South African wine business located from the Klein Karoo to the Olifants River region of the West Coast.
Wine is not the only reason to visit the region, of course. "The Orange and Vaal Rivers merge here and it's a sight to behold," says local winemaker Ian Sieg. "There are also glaciated pavements some 290 million years old that you can visit."
The Northern Cape's Orange River Cellars is by far the biggest in South Africa and one of the largest in the world. Established in 1965, it now comprises four wineries that take in grapes from farms spread over 300kms along the Orange River. It is a major source of distilling wine for amongst others, South Africa's award-winning brandies.
From a visitor's perspective, the best place to start is the home of Orange River Cellars in Upington.
On the outskirts of Upington lies Bezalel, a small wine and brandy estate that takes advantage of the Orange River's fertile alluvial soils at Dyasonsklip. A landmark of its location is the massive solar plant and tower mirror that's visible to anyone approaching from kilometres away.
Following Bezalel's footsteps as a private cellar, Die Mas (Afrikaans for The Mast) registered in 2005 and became Kakamas's first although the farm had been in the Hanekom family since 1970. The hamlet itself lies further along past Bezalel and some 80km southwest of Upington.
Here, the landmark indicator is the Pink Padstal (farm stall) located a few metres from the entrance to the farm while the drive to the cellar takes the visitor through the vineyards and along a life-giving irrigation canal.
Landzicht has been producing wine for some time; grapes were first planted along this section of the Orange River in the 1990s. Awareness of its existence was however suddenly re-awakened last year when judges at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show (OMTWS) voted the Landzicht 2015 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as Best in South Africa. It has two cellars - one located at Douglas, the other 120km east, at Jacobsdal in the Free State. Both are approximately an hour's drive south of Kimberley and have their own dedicated wine tasting rooms. Cellar tours are offered at Douglas.
The journey from vine to glass is a matter of science and circumstance. There are a wide number of species of vines which bears a variety of grapes, known as varietals. Each varietal, affected by soil type, climate, wind, farming practices and other factors produces various characteristics.
Tshepang Molisana shares the journey of a grape from vine to wine glass with us.
South Africa’s winelands have always professed to welcome all. An initiative focused on language rather than tourism or wine, however, promises to take this hospitality and the wine industry in general to new heights.
A series of workshops with mother-tongue speakers of Shona, Zulu and Xhosa that lay the groundwork to make wine appreciation more widely accessible, has just been concluded. Led by the South African Chenin Blanc Association, a sector interest group, and several industry stakeholders, the project involves a re-interpretation of traditional wine descriptions.
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Nearby farms: Orange River Cellars ,
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Nearby farms: Bezalel Wine and Brandy Estate ,