Savour a weekend in the Klein Karoo

Quintessential Calitzdorp: Vines, orchards and Cape country cottages in the Klein Karoo landscape, where the wine and port festival will take place.

Quintessential Calitzdorp: Vines, orchards and Cape country cottages in the Klein Karoo landscape, where the wine and port festival will take place.

Published Jun 2, 2014

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Cape Town - The Calitzdorp port and wine festival will take place on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15. And, with Monday, June 16, being a public holiday, you could savour a mid-month weekend in the Klein Karoo.

Each year, the locals dream up new events to ensure a varied menu. Some things don’t change, however, and these include the tastings and sales of Calitzdorp wines and ports on the old railway station, where a street food market and vintage car and tractor exhibition add to the vibe.

The formal tastings of ports from Portugal and South Africa is another regular item, and this year the exciting table wines made from port wine cultivars will make the trip worthwhile for red wine collectors.

Secret suppers are on the menu, as are historic village meanders, mountain bike races, cooking demos and unusual pairings (port and brownies). Two wines from De Krans cellar should not be missed. Its classic Cape Tawny port (R120) seems to get better with each vintage. Gold in hue, fresh with hints of spice and raisins, the cellar recommends serving it with coffee and chocolates. De Krans Tritonia 2013 (R150) is the cellar’s flagship blend of touriga nacional, tinta barocca and tinta roriz, named after the indigenous flower that thrives in the region.

It’s a powerful, complex, well balanced wine offering fine proof of the Anglo American Platinumuality attained by talented Little Karoo winemakers. - Weekend Argus

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