Port of the Year rather different: Cabernet, WO Wellington, Organic
A MAGICAL place. At the end of a dirt track, up against one of the Hawequa mountains. Rustic, at one with nature, farm animals, oak trees, metal sculpture of a maiden, gurgling stream and a rock pool, spirits aplenty and some secrets no doubt… The Upland Organic Estate is where the first school in Wellington was located a couple of centuries back before anybody had heard of Hogwarts (apologies to Harry Potter et al). Upland? English for Boland, Afrikaans descriptor for ‘area of high altitude’. Hawequa? English for Hawekwa, a Koi word said to tell of “the man in the mountain”.
The ‘wizard’ in charge at Upland these days is one Edmund Oettlé, and of his potions, probably the brandies and grappas have been the most talked-about in recent years. That is until his 2014 Tawny was rated one of the top two Cape Ports assessed for the 2020 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide – the other Wine of the Year in this category being Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2017 from Calitzdorp.
It’s as if Upland was caught a little off-guard by the extent of the applause. Of course the Oettlés new it was good, but at the time of writing they were still labelling this, their first Tawny in over two decades of organic farming. No doubt the Nel families of Calitzdorp grumbled a bit on being told they’d have to share the glory with a boutique outfit far from the country’s Port Capital, made from a Bordeaux variety rather than one or more of the Portuguese grapes preferred by the established Port houses, and a maiden vintage at that. Smooth, warming, nutty, very delicious!
UPLAND CAPE TAWNY 2014
WO Wellington. Cabernet Sauvignon. Certified Organic; natural fertilisers and pest control. No added sulphites. Fortified with Upland pot-still brandy. Five years in barrel.
Alc 17.9 | RS 83.9 | TA 5 | pH 3.9
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: Russet hues. Light rendition of nutty fruitcake and cigar box. Mint and spice overtones. Sweetness offset by long dry finish. Tannin structure to ensure the wine will keep for many years. “After opening the bottle, it should be consumed within a month as it contains no sulphite preservative.”
Cellar-door price: R500pb.
About the Upland Tawny 2014, for those who want some technical details about the vinification: Cabernet is a difficult customer to get colour at mid-fermentation, and so I over-fortified the free-run slightly early, then allowed the skins to go further before pressing, and then blended back the press-juice. The key for me was to get the right balance between the sweetness of the fruit with the complexity of the Cabernet and with the alcohol level, hence my going for a lowish RS and alcohol, giving a sweet wine that has a long dry finish. Hard pressing gave the tannins needed for longevity, since no sulphites were added. The five years maturation was in old oak barrels of mixed cooperage, so as to have a more gentle wooding. No fining, vegan wine, organic certified (both the wine and the fortifying spirits), good for the planet and your palate. Yummy!