Tucked away on the West Coast, about 300km from Cape Town there’s a fishing village producing some truly special wines.
Doringbaai is one of those towns most people only see in their rear-view mirror but if you stop and take the time to taste what is being produced at Fryer’s Cove Winery; you won’t be disappointed.
Lutouw, Lamberts Bay and Bamboes Bay is where you’ll find their vineyards and grapes growing under the cool mist of the Atlantic Ocean Breeze.
That’s the not-so-secret ingredient of the wines Derick Koegelenberg and his team have used to create their wines. The taste of the ocean is never far from the palate when sipping on what they have to offer.
One of the other quirks of the winery is that it’s housed in an old fisheries facility which also adds to the character of the wine.
Koegelenberg says: “Our grapes are a few meters from the ocean and harvest time we start early in the morning and leave (the) grapes to cool in the West Coast air.”
Fryers Cove Wine - Pic by Tammy Tinline
Two special wines
- On an overnight trip to the town and the winery it was clear that Fryer’s Cove is determined to punch above their weight particularly when it comes to their Doringbay Sauvignon Blanc 2017. The colourful and unique label conveys not only the character of the winery but also the heart of the community. Described in the tasting notes as “vibrant with a green tinge” and a nose with a “distinct tropical fruit with green undertones and youngberry fruit” it was an absolutely delightful wine.
- The wine maker was at pains to explain that it’s with the 2015 Pinot Noir that they have really excelled. The grapes were de-stemmed and none of the berries crushed before being pumped into the fermentation tanks. The winery also confirms that there was “no cold or protein stabilization taking place and only course filtration at bottling after a light egg-white fining to help clarify the Pinot Noir.”