The team at Fleur du Cap, our Winery of the Week, have the distinction of receiving five stars – the maximum Platter’s rating – for their Bergkelder Selection Noble Late Harvest not once, twice or even three times, but seven times in a row. A remarkable and unique achievement, and one which begs the question: how do they do it?

Cellarmaster Andrea Freeborough has been on board at Die Bergkelder, home of the Distell-owned Fleur du Cap brand, since this stellar sweet unfortified dessert wine started its run of notable successes in 2006.

Andrea oversees a team of winemakers, including white-wine specialist Pieter Badenhorst and new assistant Elmarie Botes, who have a hand in making the wine. Together they fill the shoes of the late Dr Julius Laszlo, Cape wine industry pioneer and manager of wine production at the “Mountain Cellar” in the 1970s. Julius was one of the first practitioners in the Cape of the specialised Noble Late Harvest style, of which Fleur du Cap has long been a benchmark.