From the vast thirstlands spring the sweetest wines. Approximately 800 kilometres from the bosom of the Cape’s winelands lies the vineyard sprawl of the Orange River in the Northern Cape.
This great, drought-stricken expanse covers a distance of 300kms from which around 580 growers supply Orange River Cellars with grapes from their riverside allotments. The wines made from the collection of cellars span the cultivar spectrum; with a big focus on fortified muscadel wines.
“It’s the heat,” says Johan ‘Mosdop’ Dippenaar on what sets the sweet wines apart here. “We get very ripe grapes at an early stage of the growing season, this plus the inherent dryness of the area means we get good, clean raisin flavours, without any rot. This is much more difficult to achieve in the cooler Western Cape.”
Currently Dippenaar is a cellarmaster at the Keimoes cellars. “I have 27 harvests under my belt,” he shares. “All of them at Orange River Cellars.”
Wine has always been a part of this quiet-spoken winemaker’s life. He grew up in the wine-farming community of Bonnievale. His father worked in a local winery’s financial department. Many weekends were spent at the cellar. During harvest Dippenaar was tasked with collecting soetmos (wine must) for his mom to bake mosbolletjies.
A love of wine trickled down from his father. Gathered around the dinner table the kids were treated to small sips of wine. The burgeoning interest grew, and soon saw Dippenaar doing his three years at Elsenburg. After graduating he headed into the interior, and has never looked back. His life’s work is making superlative stickies.
Another secret to the full, intense flavour spectrum of the muscadel wines along the Orange River is the treasure trove of old vine muscat. Dippenaar says the majority of grapes that goes into the wines are from old vines. The juice from the younger sites is generally used if more volume is required. “I also think the older clones are more about flavour, than say the newer ones, that are better suited for production,” he muses.
There are said to be 14 strains of ‘true’ muscat with over 200 iterations in various forms. South Africa specialises in two types, ‘Muscat de Frontignan’ and ‘Muscat of Alexandria’ (colloquially known as Hanepoot). Mention of the cultivar/s can be found in scripts by Pliny the Elder who deemed the grape as part as the Vitis Apianae family as bees loved the ripe grape’s sweet scent.
Though not quite as far back as Ancient Greece, muscat has been planted in the Cape since the 1600s. It was as recent as the 1990s that it was still the sixth most planted grape. But as traditional sweet wines have fallen out of fashion, sites are becoming scarcer. In the Western Cape muscat now makes up less than two per cent of all plantings.
Fortunately, the same is not true for the Orange River. “Maybe it’s just because we like to drink muscadel in the Northern Cape,” laughs Dippenaar. “But we’re planting more all the time, demand is climbing at the moment.”
Part of the increased interest is also due to quality production. The perfect example is the ‘Omstaan Wit Muskadel’, which achieved five-star status in the 2022 Platter's by Diners Club South African Wine Guide. A blend of 11 different vintages the white muscadel was described as ‘poised’ and ‘remarkable’ by tasters. Many other muscats were given the hallowed points of 93 and above too, showing that this is no fluke, but rather winemaking focused on quality.
Next up Dippenaar’s sleeve is a 15-vintage blend of white muscadel. But first, he’s hanging up his hat at the Keimos cellar, and taking the position of cellarmaster in the Upington division. Though he gives assurance he will still be very much involved in muscadel production. “That will always be my baby.”
When not making ambrosial elixirs you’ll find Dippenaar spending time with his wife as well golfing and fishing. And, after dinner with a quiet glass of Orange River muscadel in-hand.
“Always have fun,” he enthuses. “If you’re not having fun, you're not doing what you should be doing.
“I’ve never once wanted to do anything else with my life.”
This article was originally published on WOSA's blog, Cape Chatter.