WeeklySA_AdminACCOLADES:History of producing award-winning Port puts Boplaas ahead of the pack
By Len Maseko
Back in 1990, preeminent wine personality John Patter asked the question: Is the Cape’s greatest port going to emerge from the remote Boplaas estate in the Klein Karoo?
John Platter, the creator of the John Platter’s South African Wine Guide before selling it off to a well-known Cape publisher, had asked the enduring the rhetoric question much in a bit of a marvellous haze after tasting two of the estate’s port, which instantly declared to be “excellent”.
At the time, John Platter had a hunch – which would be later proved right so many times – that the Calitzdorp estate of Boplaas was headed to be the king (or queen) of South African port-styled wines in the not-so distant future.
Better still, Platter suspected that Boplaas winemaker Carel Nel had it all quite figured out at the time that his port would soon carry South African flag high locally and internationally.
Fast forward into the millennium, things would turn just the way Platter had predicted as Boplaas churned out one prize-winning port after another – up to today. It perhaps matters very little that the Portuguese have since reclaimed the name Port as their exclusive heritage, much to the disappointment of the local producers of port.
Of course, the Portuguese seemed to have been oblivious of the fact that the trail of their colonial adventures in Africa and elsewhere centuries ago would one day come back to bite them in the ass.
So, like Grappa, South African port producers may not label their port as such, now forced to be creative by naming their version “port-styled wine’’. Hence, they today use terms like Cape Ruby, Cape Tawny and Cape Vintage for its ports, in deference to the agreement signed with the European Union with regard to use of famous names like port (Portugal), sherry (Spain), champagne (French)and grappa (Italy).
To pursue his passion for port in his early years of making the fortified wine, Nel visited Portugal and spent days in the renowned port-making region of Douro, learning their intricate techniques of making port.
Since then, the Nel family has consistently focused on planting Portuguese varietals like Tinta Barocca and Touriga Nacional to make their award-winning ports. For their sweat, the scores awards amassed the family’s ports over the past three decades attest to their dedication to this genre of wine and excellent craftmanship.
This year, Boplaas Family Vineyards emerged as the most successful performer in an annual tasting of selected local ports, scooping the best overall port title for the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2009. Notably, such feats precede this year’s successes.
In choosing the vintage port as the best overall, the Prescient Sweet Wine & Fortified Report 2021 said, “the wine had been the highest scorer in its assessment of 10-year-old wines in 2019, and it only seems to be getting better”.
Not surprisingly, the same vintage was awarded a five-star rating in the Platter’s South African Wine Guide and Double Gold at Veritas, including being named Best Dessert Wine at the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards last year.
Much merit is placed on the capacity of the wine to age well, and so with port, a factor that characterises the success of Boplaas ports. The Nel family believes the long list of impressive competition results is yet another reflection of how well its ports develop with age.
The family has the Boplaas patriarch Oupa Daniel Nel, who initiated their romance with Portuguese winemaking grapes back 1970, to thank.
His son, Carel, took the family’s passion further by taking a trip to Portugal where he was exposed to the finer art of making port, and today is Boplaas owner and cellar master, while casting a beady over his daughter Margaux, the winemaker at the estate.
Margaux Nel is the sixth generation Boplaas winemaker, having completed her MSc degree in viticulture from the University of Stellenbosch.
This year, Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2017, was named Best in South Africa and Best South African Sweet Wine at the National Wine Challenge/Top 100 SA Wines.
For good measure, the family recently sent me a bottle of this alluring port, which has been aged in old barrels and simply a blend of wines eight years and older.
Made from Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barocca fruit, Margaux says of the port: “After years of maturation, the colour changes from black to brick brown tawny and the port has developed a deliciously nutty, fruitcake flavour”.
No doubt, this port has benefited from the blending of wines from various years and aging to acquire its mouth-watering opulence and refinement, which has resulting in the glossing of spikes of the brandy spirit beyond recognition. It brims with a sumptuous palate and a deliciously long finish.
FOOD THAT PAIR WELL WITH PORT
Cheese
Wine and cheese are a common food-drink pairing, but switching your bottle of red for a port can enhance the experience. The contrasting flavours of salty cheese and a sweeter tasting Port will deliver a new combination of palate pleasing tastes to a traditional party platter.
Chocolate Cake
A traditional blend of dessert and dessert wine, port and chocolate cake are a perfect way to end any meal. The balance of the rich fruity flavours of Port, and the sweetness of Chocolate cake, create a delectable pairing enjoyed by most anyone.
Creating a Port Wine Sauce
Port wine may not be commonly served alongside main-course dishes, but it does go great when the dish includes a port wine sauce. A great mixture of flavours can be found when creating dishes such as chicken with a Port and mushroom sauce, the richness of the Port wine reducing to create the perfect sweet and savoury combination. Be sure to pair a Late Bottled Vintage, or Vintage style Port alongside this tasty dish.
Sorbet
To add a little complexity to a traditional and simple dessert, add a dash of port wine on top of your sorbet before serving it to guests. This not only will enhance the flavour of the dessert, but it also gives a pleasing visual presentation.
Pickles and Olives
For a simple appetizer, consider putting together a mixed bowl of various types of stuffed olives and pickles to serve alongside a small glass of port. The salty and briny flavours of the pickles make an ideal contrast to the deeper fruit flavours of the Port. Whether you’re creating a complex meal or a simple dish, port wine is both useful in the kitchen and a delightful accompaniment for appetizers and desserts.
SOURCE: shescookin.com
SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PORT
1. It is made by adding brandy, or distilled grape spirit, to wine during the fermentation process.
2. Portuguese grape varietals used mostly to make it are Tinta Barocca and Touriga Nacional.
3. South Africa and other countries that produce port cannot label it as such, because it is designated as a product exclusively from Portugal.
4. Fortifying the wine base with brandy or distilled grape spirit during the port-making process elevates its alcohol and sugar levels, and give it more flavour, tannin and structure. The young “port” then undergoes a specific period of maturation and blending to create each unique style.
5. Each Cape “port” style is defined and regulated in South Africa by the Liquor Products Act 60 of 1989, enforced by SAWIS and its officers. The Cape Port Producers Associarion (CAPPA) also play a part in the regulation of the production of the fortified wine.
6. The seven unique styles of in South Africa are: Cape Tawny, Cape Date Tawny, Cape Ruby, Cape Late Bottled Vintage, Cape Vintage, Cape White and Cape Vintage Reserve.
7. Port made from grapes harvested in a single vintage is recognised by the South African wine industry as being of exceptional quality.
