De Krans Wine Cellar is situated along the upper reaches of the picturesque Gamka River Valley in Calitzdorp in the Klein Karoo.
The rich and long history of the farm dates to 1890, when it was bought by the Nel family. The current cellar was built in 1964 by Chris Nel and his brother Danie. The first Portuguese grape variety in Calitzdorp was planted in 1973 at De Krans by a twist of fate. Chris Nel, father of Boets & Stroebel Nel, intended to plant Shiraz, which turned out to be Tinta Barocca, when the newly planted vineyard started bearing grapes in 1976! Since 1985 other classic Portuguese varieties, such as Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela and Souzão, have been planted.
De Krans is widely known as one of the leading producers of port-style wines, as well as one of the most innovative cellars in South Africa. De Krans was the first in South Africa to produce a Touriga Nacional as a dry red wine, made the first Pink Port-style wine, as well as the first Moscato perlé wine in South Africa. De Krans has recently been awarded for its innovation, winning the Most Innovative Wine Award for the De Krans Espresso, as well as for the De Krans MCC at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards.
The cellar has won more than 700 medals and awards (including multiple Veritas and Michelangelo double gold and gold awards) in the past 30 years and was crowned Champion Private Wine Cellar in the Klein Karoo region 6 times in the last 7 years. De Krans is not only known for its award-winning port-style wines, but also for its unique, high-quality red and white wines from Portuguese grape varieties.
Meet The Team
Boets Nel
Managing Director
Boets is the MD of De Krans Wines. Boets completed his BSc Agric at Stellenbosch University in 1980 where after he took over the family business in 1982. He qualified as a Cape Wine Master in 1997 and has made significant contributions to the wine and port industry in South Africa, with many innovative ideas.
Stroebel Nel
Director / Viticulturist
Stroebel, the younger Nel brother, joined the family business in 1988 upon completion of his degree at Elsenburg. Stroebel is the viticulturist and farm manager and plays a huge role in ensuring the continued great quality of our vineyards.
Christoff de Wet
Cellar Master
After his studies at Elsenburg, Christoff headed off to Australia and California, completing two harvests in one year. In 2010 he joined the team at Distell as Assistant Winemaker for the Bergkelder, and remained there for approximately eight years. When he’s not in the vineyards or cellar you are bound to find Christoff hiking or camping. A keen sportsman tennis is one of his all-time favourite sports, and he has completed four Cape Town Cycle Tours.
