Boplaas Family Vineyards once again won the best in class overall award for port at this year’s National Wine Challenge (NWC), making this year the fourth consecutive title for the Calitzdorp farm. The competition, now in its 16th year, singled out the Boplaas Cape Tawny NV when the awards were announced recently.
The Boplaas Cape Tawny NV was named Grand Cru National Best in Class in the NWC category for sweet wine, which incorporates fortifieds.
In addition, the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2024 received Double Platinum and inclusion in the competition’s list of the year’s Top 100 wines. Additional entries, the Boplaas Cape Vintage 2024, Boplaas Touriga National Reserve 2022 and Boplaas Touriga National 2024, also did extremely well, receiving Double Gold in their respective categories.
The Boplaas Cape Tawny NV is a consistent top achiever in local and international competitions, and with authoritative reviewers. The wine has received Double Gold at Veritas, 4 ½ stars from the tasting panel of Platter's South African Wine Guide, Gold at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirit Awards, and 94 points from Tim Atkin MW.
It is made from the traditional Portuguese varieties of Tinta Barocca, Touriga Nacional and Souzão. Once vinified, it was matured in large, seasoned oak barrels for a minimum of eight years, and then blended meticulously to craft the distinctive colour and flavour profile of a fine Boplaas Cape Tawny.
The result was a fiery red-brown, tawny-coloured wine with flecks of olive green on the rim. The bouquet unfurls with walnut, roasted almond, honey, caramel, a mix of spice, citrus, warming brandy and charred oat notes that typify the style. On the palate, the Boplaas Cape Tawny NV is lusciously smooth and mouth-watering with notes of brandied fruits, roasted nuts and caramel toffee, tantalizing the taste buds long after the first sip.
Boplaas also won best SA Port style in the consistency awards for the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve.
Boplaas made its first port in the 1980’s having planted Portuguese varieties on the farm a decade earlier. Breaking away from the local industry’s traditional sweeter fortifieds, Boplaas pioneered a drier style more in line with the wines from their spiritual home of Portugal. Soon after, the awards began piling up, which has showcased not only the outstanding suitability of Calitzdorp for Portuguese varieties, but also the lifelong study the Nel’s have invested in crafting wines of world class standard.
Boplaas’s winning wines are available for purchase and door-to-door delivery from boplaas.co.za. For more information, email admin@boplaas.co.za, call 044 213 3326 or visit our website.