At the recent annual selection of the Top 100 SA Wines, chosen by a tasting panel – including Masters of Wine, a group of world renowned independent judges and expert winemakers – Boplaas Family Vineyards secured three spots in the top one hundred wines of South Africa.

The Boplaas Gamka Cape Portuguese Red Blend 2015, the flagship red wine from Boplaas (a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barocca, Touriga Francesca and Shiraz) received a double gold award at the Top 100 SA Wines. The name has reference to the Gamka River which carves its way from the plains of the Great Karoo to the Little Karoo, and which played a vital role in the farming operations since the first of the Boplaas’ Nels settled in Calitzdorp in the mid 1800’s.

This plush, exotic, complex and age worthy red wine is the result of a meticulous process refined over many years. Only 7 500 bottles of the 2015 vintage were crafted, with the fruit hand harvested in the early morning hours, vinified in open top cement fermenters (lagars) and matured in large format French oak, prior to blending and bottling.

The Boplaas Ring of Rocks Family Reserve 2013 (a blend of Tinta Barocca and Touriga Francesca) – named after the stone circle on the farm – was also awarded a double gold at this prestigious show, over and above the 4 ½ stars in the Platter Wine Guide.

Boplaas is synonymous with the crafting of benchmark, authentic and age worthy Cape “Port”-styled fortifieds from Portuguese varieties. The exceptional quality of the Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2015 continues this legacy,  and was deemed worthy of a double platinum award and the title of Grand Cru National Champion Best in Class.

The Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve is only crafted in exceptional vintages. The fruit for this exceptional product originates from a quartet of old vine Portuguese varieties, which is vinified in traditional open top cement fermenters, with intense pigéage for intensive extraction of colour, flavour and texture from the grapes. After maturation in Port pipes and expert blending the result is a fine fortified that, with careful cellaring, will ensure unfaltering quality and exceptional drinking enjoyment over many years.

When it comes to Cape Portuguese red wines and the Cape Ports, Boplaas Family Vineyards is a true champion. The success of the last 10 years with their Cape Portuguese red wines is no surprise, as winemaker Margaux Nel’s specialisation during her Master’s degree in viticulture was in the use of Touriga Nacional in the production of red table wines and Cape Port.