Over the last 10 years, Boplaas excelled with a variety of wines, especially their Cape Portuguese red wines. And small wonder: Carel Nel, cellar master and owner, is the only person from the southern Cape that holds a seat in the highly respected Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) winemaker. And Margaux Nel, Boplaas’ winemaker, specialised during her Master's degree in viticulture on the Portuguese varieties in the production of red table wines.
Boplaas did exceptionally this year at the Cape Port & Wine Challenge with six red wines in the Top 10 Red Wines. These wines include the Boplaas Gamka 2015, Boplaas, Daniel’s Legacy Cape Portuguese Red Blend 2015, Touriga Nacional 2015, Woolworths Tinta Barocca 2015, Woolworths Portuguese Connection 2015 and the Tinta Chocolat 2015.
One of the wines from Boplaas that deserves special mention is the Boplaas Gamka Cape Portuguese Red Blend 2015, the flagship red wine from Boplaas (a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barocca and Shiraz). This beautiful deep coloured red wine with flavours of violets, blackberries and rich ripe tannins was included in the list of SA Top 100 wines and also secured a place as one of South Africa's Top 10 Red Table Wines at the Cape Port & Wine Challenge for 2017.
Last year, Boplaas' entry for the annual CWG auction – Daniel’s Legacy Cape Portuguese Red Blend 2013 – once again showcased the winemaking excellence inherent to this cellar. The wine was rated 93 points by Wine Spectator and 93 points by Michael Chan and was sold for a record price of R5 000 per case of six bottles!
The Boplaas Tinta Barocca is the top-selling red wine from Boplaas and was selected as one of the Top 10 Red Wines at the Cape Port & Wine Challenge for the last three years. The 2015 Boplaas Tinta Barocca was awarded the so-called ‘Hidden Gem’ award from the Platter Wine Guide 2016. And the Boplaas Tinta Barocca 2014 ensured that Margaux was one of the top 5 finalists at the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year awards in 2015.
Tinta Barocca made its way to Boplaas by pure chance and an accident or two. Margaux’s grandfather and bon vivant Boplaas patriarch, Oupa Danie Nel, on returning from a visit to the Swartland in the 70’s, proceeded to plant Shiraz as he thought this grape might have a great future in the Klein Karoo. However, it was later in part discovered by his son, Carel Nel, while studying oenology at Stellenbosch University, that his father’s vines were indeed Tinta Barocca and not the desired Shiraz. A trip to Portugal followed, where the Nels befriended many of the Douro’s top Port producers and from whom they learnt the art of crafting fine fortifieds, amongst other things.
The full Boplaas range of award-winning wines is available for tasting and purchase from our cellar door in Calitzdorp, as well as at our tasting room in Little Brak on the Garden Route. The Boplaas WW Portuguese Connection and WW Tinta Barocca is exclusive to selected Woolworths stores nationwide.
We ship country-wide, should you prefer to order directly from the cellar. Contact: Jeanette at admin@boplaas.co.za.
For more information visit www.boplaas.co.za, give us a call on +27.44 2133326, send us an email to info@boplaas.co.za, tweet us @Boplaas1880 or better yet, drop in for a tasting at our cellar door in Calitzdorp.
Calitzdorp Cellar Door: OPEN Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 17:00; Saturday 09:00 – 16:00 & Sundays 10:00 – 15:00
Boplaas Family Vineyards, Calitzdorp – Tending vines & Crafting wines, since 1880