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The locals refer to it as skilpadbossie, the little grey shrub whose botanical name is Crassula ericoides. In autumn it sheds its dull coat and turns bright yellow. Somewhere between Upington and Keimoes there is an outcrop covered in skilpadbossie and way back in time, Old Man Bain was so charmed by its yellow splendour that he baptised the hillock Geelkop (literally Yellow Butt). It is here, at Geelkop, where the first private cellar in the Below Orange River Wine Region has just opened its wooden doors.
Geelkop is a family concern. SW von Regenstein manages the technical side of the farming operation while his son, Siegfried, takes care of wine and cellar matters. The two men were very astute to make their wives partners in the business. "This way nobody can complain about working late," SW explains jokingly. His wife, Roleen, is responsible for the beautification of the cellar and the garden, while Siegfried's wife, Ren‚, does the books.
SW has been a wine grape farmer for many years. On the 90 hectare farm, 64 hectares are planted to grapes, in particular Sultana for the raisin industry, as well as old Colombar and Chenin blanc. New plantings of Ruby Cabernet, Pontac, Shiraz, Pinotage, Chardonnay, Colombar and Red Muscadel were recently established. In the past he delivered all his grapes to the Orange River Wine Cellar, but Siegfried's love of wine and the tourist demand for a private cellar were decisive reasons to open a small private cellar.
SW looks like a farmer with his khaki shirt and pants, but the bright blue CATS and yuppie cell phone catch my eye. He almost looks provocative and slightly mischievous, a combination of old and new, tradition and fashion. Which is exactly how his cellar is, too. Old machinery from cellars in the vicinity were bought and reconditioned, but the cooling system and filtration machine are brand new. No foreign capital was used to erect or equip the cellar, something which scares SW at times, "but mostly I am hugely pleased!"
The emphasis in the cellar is on using space optimally. The little cellar was therefore devised on three levels, with an underground cellar for the sparkling wine, a bottling line, and a tasting venue with 12 French oak barrels which are suspended from particularly thick beams above the tasting and reception areas. Above this are four stainless steel tanks and ten fibreglass tanks. "It is just a modest little building," SW explains.
All the vines on the farm are trellised. The wine grapes on the extended Perold system (to facilitate mechanical harvesting) and the Sultanas on the T-system. Alluvial soil is flood irrigated, but micro-irrigation is used on outside soils.
On Geelkop things are not done on a grand scale and the first harvest saw the pressing of 48 tons of grapes. Which is all for the best, for here everything is done by hand, from wine-making to bottling and labelling. "And believe me, we had a lot of fun," he chuckles. Hidden in each paradise is a bit of serpent, however, and in this case it assumed the form of the municipality working on the power lines and switching off the electricity for an entire day. "Our sparkling wine ferments at 120C and after a few hours the corks started popping left and right out of the bottles!"
All five wines, made by Pieter Walser of the Strand, are from the 2000 vintage. And the Von Regen labels - all in perfect Afrikaans - acknowledge the natural environment and the five elements in particular that contributed to the success of their first wines: the people of the desert, water, sun, plants and the Kalahari red soil. The symbols on the labels are self-explanatory, modern and simple with liberal use of black and red colours.
The Woestyn ("Desert") range consists of the Korana (people of the desert) and is a blend of Colombar, Chenin blanc and Chardonnay, three cultivars each with a powerful individual character and yet in perfect harmony together; Groot Gedruis (refers to the life-giving water of the Orange River) is an extra dry Colombar; Vuurklip (refers to the sun) is a semi-sweet Colombar; Nabbakraak (refers to a crack in the soil where the Nabba plant grows) is a dry Chenin blanc and Rooistorm (typical Kalahari sandstorms with red desert sand), a low alcohol fruity Ros‚ with nutmeg flavours.
The wines are light, fruit-driven and accessible, ready for drinking now. They definitely offer value for money with prices ranging between R13 and R15. The wines are available from the cellar and also in restaurants and in one or two liquor stores in the vicinity. The desert range are not the only wines made by the people of Geelkop. In the pipeline are a 1999 Red Muscadel, a 2000 Ruby Cabernet and a 2000 Cap Classique.
On Geelkop there is a lot to be done apart from tasting wine. Cellar and vineyard tours are offered upon reservation, there are barbecue and swimming facilities, hiking and cycling routes and a gift shop for browsers. Nature lovers can enjoy a bit of angling and bird watching and everything is wheelchair friendly.
When next you find yourself in this part of the world, do not hesitate to visit the donkey monument, the train bridge across the river, Kanoneiland, the palm tree lane, the Police camel, the Augrabies Waterfalls, the waterwheel in Keimoes, and Geelkop - there where the skilpadbos invites one to take a good look at autumn.
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by Wanda Augustyn
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