Congratulations to Boekenhoutskloof for being named Platter’s Winery of the Year 2012.  The winery behind Porcupine Ridge, Wolftrap and the much-loved Chocolate Block wine has scooped this prestigious award from South Africa’s leading wine publication.

Boekenhoutskloof means ‘ravine of the Boekenhout’ where the Boekenhout is an indigenous Cape Beech tree much revered for furniture making.  Which leads us nicely to the labels of the Boekenhoutskloof wines – if you have ever wondered why these premium wines have chairs on the label it’s because of the Boekenhout tree and the skill of the 18th century craftsmen who turned this wood into beautiful pieces of furniture – the same ethos of making beautiful wine from the natural resources of the vineyards.  These stunning wines have developed a real cult following and our tiny allocations of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Semillon sell out every year.

A different kind of craftsmanship is required for making Chocolate Block – a wine so silky smooth you could almost believe chocolate goes into it.  It doesn’t, but winemaker Mark Kent isn’t giving away any of his secrets – when I asked him the secret to Chocolate Block he smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said ‘who doesn’t love wine that tastes like chocolate?’These slightly unconventional folks clearly have a bit of a thing for wildlife too…

The Wolftrap red is a rich, dark blend and the white is equally gutsy and interesting.  The Porcupine Ridge range has even inspired a conservation project for these prickly inhabitants of their farm.  We drink them because the wines taste good, but it’s interesting to think that these little creatures are living happily in amongst the vines.  Who knows what unique role they play in the vineyard ecosystem?

There’s something for everyone from this winery in the Cape.

Cheers Boekenhoutskloof!