De Krans

De Krans Wine Cellar is situated along the upper reaches of the picturesque Gamka River Valley in Calitzdorp in the Klein Karoo. The rich and long history of the farm dates to 1890, when it was bought by the Nel family. The current cellar was built in 1964 by Chris Nel and his brother Danie. The first Portuguese grape variety in Calitzdorp was planted in 1973 at De Krans by a twist of fate. Chris Nel, father of Boets & Stroebel Nel, intended to plant Shiraz, which turned out to be Tinta Barocca, when the newly planted vineyard started bearing grapes in 1976! Since 1985 other classic Portuguese varieties, such as Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela and Souzão, have been planted. De Krans is widely known as one of the leading producers of port-style wines, as well as one of the most innovative cellars in South Africa. De Krans was the first in South Africa to produce a Touriga Nacional as a dry red wine, made the first Pink Port-style wine, as well as the first Moscato perlé wine in South Africa. De Krans has recently been awarded for its innovation, winning the Most Innovative Wine Award for the De Krans Espresso, as well as for the De Krans MCC at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards.