The historic Calitzdorp estate has become the first South African producer to be crowned champion in Cape Port, brandy and whisky within a single year, underlining nearly 150 years of craftsmanship and innovation.
Boplaas Family Vineyards has etched its name into South African wine and spirits history after becoming the first producer to claim champion honours in Cape Port, brandy and whisky within a single 12-month period…
The remarkable achievement places the Klein Karoo estate in a league of its own, demonstrating an extraordinary breadth of expertise across three of the country’s most demanding beverage categories.
For the Nel family, whose farming heritage on the Calitzdorp property dates back to 1880, the unprecedented treble is the culmination of generations of dedication to traditional craftsmanship while continually refining quality.
The estate’s latest success began with its fortified wines, where the Boplaas Cape Tawny NV was crowned Best South African Port at the 2026 National Wine Challenge.
Matured for a decade in seasoned oak barrels, the wine impressed judges with its rich mahogany colour, complex nutty aromas and flavours reminiscent of Christmas cake, dried fruit and spice.
Boplaas reinforced its dominance in the fortified category by securing Best Cape Port in the Museum Class at the Trophy Wine Show with its 1996 Cape Vintage Reserve Port. The estate also topped the 2026 Wine Magazine Fortified Report, where its entry achieved an outstanding 97-point rating.
The accolades extended beyond wine into premium spirits.
The estate’s 20-Year-Old Pot Still Brandy was named Champion Brandy at the prestigious 2025 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards.
Produced from Colombar grapes grown in the deep red soils surrounding Calitzdorp, the brandy is double-distilled in traditional copper pot stills before spending two decades maturing in French Limousin oak casks.
The intense Klein Karoo climate accelerates the ageing process, producing a spirit layered with ripe stone fruit, honey, kumquat and subtle oak spice before finishing with exceptional smoothness.
Completing the historic clean sweep was the Boplaas 12-Year-Old Rum Cask Whisky, which claimed the title of Best South African Grain Whisky at the 2026 World Whisky Awards in London.
The whisky spends its early years in Bourbon and brandy casks before receiving a distinctive finish in South African and Colombian rum barrels, creating a rich profile featuring notes of vanilla cream, toffee, tropical fruit and lingering mocha.
While the spotlight has fallen on its Cape Port and spirits, Boplaas has continued to demonstrate its credentials as one of South Africa’s leading producers of premium still wines.
Its Ring of Rocks 2022 has enjoyed an exceptional run, collecting a Double Gold Medal at the Veritas Awards, a place among South Africa’s Top 100 wines and Double Platinum honours at the National Wine Challenge.
The estate’s Merlot has also added to the trophy cabinet with a Veritas Gold Medal.
The unprecedented success reflects the growing international recognition of South Africa’s premium wine and spirits industry, with producers increasingly earning top honours on the global stage.
For Boplaas, however, the achievement is especially significant because it spans three distinctly different disciplines requiring unique skills, techniques and decades of patient maturation.
Few producers anywhere in the world have successfully built reputations across fortified wines, premium brandies and whisky simultaneously.
Now, with champion titles in all three categories within a single year, the Calitzdorp estate has set a benchmark that may prove difficult to equal.
Nearly 150 years after the Nel family first established Boplaas in the heart of the Klein Karoo, the estate’s latest achievements affirm its place among South Africa’s most accomplished wine and spirits producers—one equally at home crafting world-class Cape Ports, fine brandies, exceptional whiskies and award-winning table wines.
This article was first published In the Weekly Mirror
