The Boplaas Cape Tawny Bin 1880, a cellar master blend of the finest barrels of Tawny, won the Cape Port Producers Association (CAPPA) Trophy for Best “Port”, as well as picking up a gold medal & “Best in Class”. This year’s runner-up went to the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2013; while four Boplaas table wines featured in the CAPPA TOP 10.

They do say “Third time’s the charm!” and it might just be for Boplaas with their third consecutive CAPPA Trophy winning Cape “Port” in a row. The 2015 CAPPA Trophy, gold medal and “Best in Class” went to the Boplaas Cape Tawny Bin 1880 – a bespoke blend of the best barrel matured Tawny & labeled Bin 1880 to commemorate the Nel’s of Boplaas’s wine making heritage which spans back to 1880. This year’s Challenge runner-up spot went to the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2013 – which took top honours in eagerly contested Cape Vintage Class. Boplaas’s prowess doesn’t stop with “Port”, as four of the CAPPA Top10 table wines were produced by the cellar team at Boplaas.

This year, as in the past, the judging panel were astounded by the sheer quality offered by the Cape’s fortifieds and lamented that consumers should take heed of the incredible value, quality and sheer enjoyment offered by the wines. Convenor of the panel of tasters, Christine Rudman was particularly pleased by the Tawny & Vintage classes, but was incredibly impressed by the improvement made by producers in crafting table wines from the Portuguese varietals.

Apart of taking top honours, the Boplaas Cape Tawny Bin 1880 also walked away with “Best in Class” and gold. This limited release bottling, available exclusively from the cellar door, commemorates the Nel’s winemaking heritage dating back to 1880 and is a blend of the finest Tawny carefully matured a minimum of 15 years in barrel. Crafted in a slightly drier style, this fine Boplaas Tawny exhibits the complex melange of nutty, caramel, citrus, spice, oak and rancio characteristics which typify the style. Served chilled this wine will make an exceptional accompaniment to roast duck, venison, slow roast pork or a selection of mature cheeses.

The Cape Vintage class is not only the largest category at the CAPPA Challenge, but also the most fiercely contested with an incredibly high quality standard of entries and this year delivered six gold medals. The class winner, gold and overall runner-up went to the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2013 – a wine which also won the Trophy for SA Champion at the SA National Young Wine Show 2013. The Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2012 took a gold medal as well as being a part of the runners-up, after earlier this year being included in the SA Top 100 Wines 2015. Both these fine Vintage styled wines were crafted from a quartet of old vine Portuguese varietals, destined for further bottle maturation over the coming three decades or more and are decidedly drier in style. Although perfect for an accompaniment to a cheese board, dark chocolate or digestif; these fulsome fortifieds can also deftly pair with rustic country cuisine, all manner of game and wouldn’t be amiss around the table with Sunday roast leg of lamb.
Having always crafted the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve wines for extended bottle maturation, it is exceptionally pleasing that the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2004 took gold and the runner-up position in the “Museum Class” – only being upstaged by a KWV 1948 Port. The Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve, contrary to convention, out shone the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2005 – both of which quite easily
can mature for the better part of the coming two decades.

Boplaas not only showcased its prowess in Port, but also its dedication to the crafting of the very finest table wines using Portuguese varietals and were awarded four spots in the CAPPA Top 10. The Boplaas Family Reserve Touriga Francesca 2012 – South Africa’s only varietal bottling – took one of the 4 spots. This exceptional wine was joined by the Boplaas Family Reserve Ring of Rocks 2013, Boplaas Portuguese Collection Touriga Nacional 2014, as well as the Boplaas Tinta Chocolat 2014 – the latter two wines with a cellar door price below R60 p/b. These wines showcase the Cape’s incredible potential with these hardy Portuguese varietals is handsome reward for the dedication and exceptional effort by Boplaas’s vineyard and cellar team.

Come discover these award winning wines and other Portuguese varietal table winesat our cellar door in Calitzdorp, as well our tasting room in Little Brak along the Garden route.
For more information visit www.boplaas.co.za, give us a call on +27 (0)44 2133326, send us an email to [email protected], tweet us @Boplaas1880 or better yet, drop in for a tasting at our cellar door in Calitzdorp