The House of Krone unveil their latest shining star
Friday, 17 October, 2008
The House of Krone
The House of Krone, Twee Jonge Gezellen, is launching their latest bubbly in honour of patriarch, the late Nicolas Charles Krone, one of the true pioneers in the South African wine industry. A prodigy of his era, NC Krone was revered both locally and internationally.
Pioneering cold fermentation in South Africa in the 1950s, NC Krone revolutionized the production of warmer climate wines for which he was lauded Commandeur d'Honneur by the Grand-Maître de l'Ordre du Bontemps, in France in 1971, for services to the international wine industry.
A man of subdued strength, with a quick-silver wit and dry sense of humour, his sagacity was highly sought after and he was loved and respected by many. In the close-knit Krone family of bubbly-lovers, with each member adhering to the perpetuity of vision, it is indeed apposite that his son, Nicky, honour his father by naming this top-end Krone Prestige Cuvée MCC Sparkling Wine after his iconic predecessor. The unveiling of the Nicolas Krone Marque 1 pays tribute to father, pioneer and legend.
The House of Krone was formed to recognize the significance of son and current owner, Nicky Krone's, contribution to the brand, and to differentiate the Krone family's sparkling wines from its Twee Jonge Gezellen still wines.
Twee Jonge Gezellen Estate, established in 1710, owned by the Krone family, is the second oldest family-owned wine farm in South Africa. Cradled in the Tulbagh valley, the estate is surrounded by rugged mountains and is widely considered one of the most beautiful, family-run estates in the Cape. It boasts a history just shy of 300 years and a legacy of innovation, individuality, momentum and ever-unfolding success.
A multi-vintage assemblage prestige cuvée, the Nicolas Charles Krone Marque 1, is exemplary of the vintner's art and precision as the newest, most striking supernova in the Krone constellation of fine bubblies. The cuvée was chosen from the best of all three vintages (namely the 2001, 2002 and 2003), using traditional grape varieties (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), hand-picked in the cool of the night and early morning hours, at the onset of harvest. Only free-run juice was used for this MCC (approximately 500 litres per ton). Bottle-fermentation and lees-maturation took place in the underground cellar at Twee Jonge Gezellen. Bottles are packed in wooden pupitres and hand-conducted rémuage precedes dégorgement. The NC Krone Marque 1 is demonstrative of great finesse, and is elegant and complex, boasting a classic biscuity bouquet with lees-creaminess and fine, continuous bubbles.
The foundations laid by NC Krone were built on by his son, Nicky, who majored in wine-making and pomology in his agricultural undergraduate degree, after which he continued with post-graduate studies in oenology, microbiology, chemistry and viticulture. On completion of his studies, Nicky trained under the tutorship of his father, NC Krone (Snr), in the cellars of Twee Jonge Gezellen. Nicky's scientific predilection coupled with his unconventional approach and charming eccentricity, led to the creation of better wines with "more guts and more drinkability."
One of his most outstanding achievements was his being lauded the 1995 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year for his Krone Borealis 1993, and runner-up in 2004. Another achievement was that Nicky, as a pioneer of sulphite-free sparkling wine, was sought by Mumm Champagne as a joint venture partner in South Africa a major coup for the then 275-year-old estate, and its seemingly eccentric, but actually very clued-up, proprietor. Finally, in terms of novel initiatives, Nicky pioneered night-harvesting of grapes in South Africa (which minimises grape flavour loss) and built the first underground Cap Classique cellar in South Africa (for natural cooling).
To say that current owners of Twee Jonge Gezellen, and pioneers of The House of Krone, Nicky and Mary Krone, are mad about bubbly is an understatement of note! One need only spend half an hour with them and one will be intoxicated by the sheer effervescence of the bubble, not to mention utterly convinced that bottle-fermented bubbly is a cure for all the world’s maladies! Nicky attributes these healing properties to the negative ions, and goes on to elucidate that "positive ions have catabolic effects on the human metabolism. Bubbly, on the other hand, delivers high-octane negative ions." One half-expects this scientist quasi-sorcerer to hand one a potion when he states with absolute conviction "Take that and all the amino acids trapped in a bottle and you’ve got an aphrodisiac of Nobel Prize winning proportions!"
But here is no flaky philosopher whose theories change with the southeaster! Nicky Krone has technical abilities which clearly compel even the most sceptical listener to give his ideas more than perfunctory consideration. Since the onset of bubbly production, the Krone bubblies have always been produced naturally, without any added preservatives.
Nicky's dream of producing the perfect archetype of the "biologically boosting bubble" began as early as 1969, when he imported stocks of bottles, wire and yeasts from Èpernay and Rheims and was all set to embark on this life-long initiative. Had all gone according to plan, he would have been the inaugural Cape bubbly producer. But the historic earthquake which devastated much of Tulbagh, including the Twee Jonge Gezellen cellar, aborted the pursuit, leaving it in a state of suspended animation.
However, not event an earthquake could prevent the realisation of the dream for long! Nicky resuscitated his bubbly-production dream and took preventative measures against any freak natural disasters, building an underground MCC cellar with impressive vaulted ceilings specifically designed to withstand earth tremors. Widely considered the most attractive underground cellar in the Cape, the Twee Jonge Gezellen cellar boasts rustic brick arches, river stones and poplar beams from the farm. These yeast-scented underground caves, amid waterways and babbling brooks, are redolent of bubbly, cascading everywhere.
Perhaps a close second to his bubbly infatuation, is Nicky's love for people, especially where social upliftment is the order of the day, and whatever can be done by hand will not be carried out by machines. The 1994 Platter Guide quotes Nicky's adage "People count and I will employ as many people as I can. I will never mechanise and all my wines will be hand-crafted."
The House of Krone now produces three micro-biologically stable, superlative bubblies: the Krone Borealis Brut (2004), the Krone Rosé Brut Cuvée (2001) and the Nicolas Charles Krone (Marque 1). The House of Krone also boasts a number of limited releases Krone Borealis 1999, 1998, 1997, 1993.
Raise your glass, peer into the effervescence of this constellation of Krone bubblies - which exude remarkable finesse, poise and balance - and sample the potion that continues to mesmerize fans at home and abroad. Drink a toast to NC, and open a bottle of Nicolas Charles Krone Marque 1, knowing that his sparkling spirit endures indefinitely, as timeless and sublime as an eternal night-star. As the Krone family has ensured the persistence of NC's radiant essence - immortalized in the spiralling gyres of fine threads of ever-rising bubbles - let us pay tribute to this pioneer, father and legend as we sip the mousse of this exquisite cuvée.