The days of South African brandy simply giving your coke a kick are long gone. Instead, boutique producers and savvy mainstream brands are pitching brandy as a premium tipple to be sipped and savoured.
And while you’ll find premium handcrafted brandies at your favourite liquor merchant, a far better bet is to weave them into your next road trip. For just like there’s more to brandy than coke, there’s more to the Cape winelands than only wine.
Brandy production has a long history in SA , and in 2022 celebrated its 350th anniversary. It was in 1672 that a cook aboard the Dutch trading ship Pijl managed to distil two leaguers — about 1,164 litres — of Cape wine into three ankers, 126 litres, of brandy. Fire and wine combined, and the Dutch term brandewijn, literally ‘burnt wine’, stuck.
Discover brandy in the Cape winelands
Just like there’s more to brandy than coke, there’s more to the Cape winelands than only wine
Image: Supplied
The days of South African brandy simply giving your coke a kick are long gone. Instead, boutique producers and savvy mainstream brands are pitching brandy as a premium tipple to be sipped and savoured.
And while you’ll find premium handcrafted brandies at your favourite liquor merchant, a far better bet is to weave them into your next road trip. For just like there’s more to brandy than coke, there’s more to the Cape winelands than only wine.
Brandy production has a long history in SA , and in 2022 celebrated its 350th anniversary. It was in 1672 that a cook aboard the Dutch trading ship Pijl managed to distil two leaguers — about 1,164 litres — of Cape wine into three ankers, 126 litres, of brandy. Fire and wine combined, and the Dutch term brandewijn, literally ‘burnt wine’, stuck.
Wine bar hopping in Stellenbosch
To discover more you’ll need to hit the road, and perhaps start with one of the big hitters — KWV — in the Winelands town of Paarl. At this year’s International Spirits Challenge (ISC) in London KWV walked away with a clutch of Double Gold and Gold medals for their brandies, as well as the coveted Brandy Producer of the Year award, putting KWV ahead of some of the world’s biggest brands in spirits. Cognac who, again?
And KWV’s House of Fire is one of the more immersive brandy experiences in the Cape, with a two-story multisensory visitor centre delving into the history, craft and maturation of the spirit. Best of all, the guided experience ends with a tasting of four premium KWV brandies — including three ISC medal winners — paired with bespoke chocolates.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Another major player introducing the art and craft of brandy to travellers is just 20 minutes away in the Stellenbosch wine lands.
Here the century-old Van Ryn’s remains the only brandy distillery to maintain a working cooperage, and a highlight of the daily tours is seeing the master craftsmen at work making and repairing barrels of French Limousin oak. The tour also walks you through the precise process of distillation, from the difference between a column and pot still, to the extended maturation required to produce premium spirits. The tour ends in the elegant tasting lounge, where you’re encouraged to sit back and sip on the impressive range of brandies. Certainly don’t miss the award-winning 12-year-old, which bagged five stars in the 2023 Platter’s Guide.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Alongside the major brandy producers are a host of smaller wineries and distilleries that dabble in the art of ‘burnt wine’. Atop the Helshoogte Pass the Tokara XO pot still brandy is remarkable, a complex multilayered palate of caramel and spice, while at Franschhoek’s Anthonij Rupert Wyne the stills produce a unique Sagnac. This local version of Armagnac is produced from Colombard grapes, and it’s worth visiting just for the elegant tasting hosted in the historic Manor House.
But brandy hasn’t always been associated with elegance and high design. Some of the best destinations for brandy touring favour unburnished charm and rural character over polished tasting rooms and curated art galleries.
Head east along Route 62 and a few hours’ scenic drive will bring you to the Klein Karoo. Quirky Grundheim is undoubtedly worth a visit. It’s been in the same family for six generations, and the old-fashioned wood-fired stills turn out superb brandy alongside homemade liqueurs and fiery witblits. Family-owned Boplaas in Calitzdorp are skilled at both whisky and brandy while Upland Organic, also in the Klein Karoo, is one of the few distilleries growing organic grapes on-site, distilling brandy with a unique sense of terroir.
Image: Supplied
Image: Richard Holmes
There’s a similar sense of place on the banks of the Orange River at Kakamas. While many of the grapes grown here are sun-dried into raisins for export, at Die Mas the Hanekom family, who have farmed here for half a century, also put them to good use in their vintage copper pot still. Their range of brandies — alongside gins infused with local naartjie and pomegranate — are best enjoyed while admiring the river views from the deck of the Koker Kombuis next door. It’s a long way from a Dutch sailing ship at anchor in Table Bay, but more than three centuries later, the history and craftsmanship of burnt wine is just one more reason to hit the road in the Cape this summer.
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