Simple, soulful and scintillating.
The Winelands surrounding Cape Town are not the only storied, heritage-rich estates. Travel a little further, over the mountains to Tulbagh – the fourth oldest town in South Africa – and you’ll find three centuries of farming history. When a farm has a road named after it, you know it has deep roots. And so it is with Twee Jonge Gezellen, a family-owned specialist producer of Krone vintage-only cap classique.
Famous for its night harvesting (which began back in the early 1980s to preserve the quality, aromas and flavours of the grapes), Krone also invented cold fermentation in the 1950s. It was a cap classique pioneer, too – had it not been for the 1969 earthquake which devastated the Tulbagh region, Krone would most likely have been the first to perfect this method. (The first vintage of Krone Borealis was finally harvested in 1987.)
Taste the magic
The tasting room is a minimalist marriage of original historic architecture enhanced by modern design elements – a white-walled, screed-floored, wood-beamed space with an arched doorway leading to the wide terrace. Furnished with benches and small tables, it presents views of the vineyards, Saronsberg Mountains and blue sky.
Inside, custom-made pieces by leading local designers such as Gregor Jenkin, Laurie Wiid and Meyer von Wielligh include a stunning carved wood-and-metal serving counter, simple brass buckets, organic ceramic pieces, fabric light fittings and simple Shaker-style tables and chairs.
It’s a calm, tranquil, meditative space – almost reminiscent of a refectory in a monastery. There’s something perfect about that, considering the alleged origin story of Champagne (the happy discovery of a monk). The winemakers want to keep it that way, so tastings are by reservation only and for a maximum of 10 people per session.
There is a choice of four tastings:
- Discovery Our commitment to the current vintage, a showcase of 2021, featuring: Krone Borealis 2021, Cuvée Brut Rosé 2021, Krone Night Nectar Demi-Sec 2021 and Night Nectar Rosé Demi-Sec 2021.
- Site Specific Series Krone’s Site Specific Series explores the most outstanding sites for Cap Classique, carving a sense of place from three remarkable sites. The Kaaimansgat Site Specific Blanc de Blancs 2020, a vineyard hidden deep in a blind valley; the Koelfontein 2020 Site Specific Blanc de Blancs 2020, from the soaring peaks of the Ceres Plateau; and the Twee Jonge Gezellen Site Specific Blanc de Blancs 2020, hewn from the rocky sandstone slopes of our home farm. Our winemaking team bottles the spirit of the vines, the character of the vintage with the philosophy of each vintage telling its own story.
- Ancient Future From site-expressive Cap Classiques to the study of time on terroir, the Ancient Future flight consists of the Amphora Blanc de Blancs 2020 and the R.D 2012. Both Cap Classiques make use of ancient winemaking techniques to capture the spirit of the vintage.
- Own the Night A sensation of energy, like the swing of a door letting music spill out into the night… Enjoy our premium Nectar expressions, supreme expressions of chardonnay and pinot noir, the Night Nectar Blanc de Blancs and the Night Nectar Blanc de Noir.
Feast your eyes
Twee Jonge Gezellen was notably also the first in Africa to build an underground wine cellar – and it is a beautiful space of arches, ancient brickwork, and shelves and coves stacked with bottles being hand-turned in traditional pupitres. Step into this cellar and you will feel transported to a historic cellar somewhere in France. Tours are offered, as well as the option of doing a tasting in the cellar.
Twee Jonge Gezellen has one more intriguing offering: the Krone x Whatiftheworld gallery, a collaboration with the Cape Town gallery known for cutting-edge contemporary African art. Within the white-washed walls of an old farm building is a display of colours, concepts and unique perspectives. There is an artist-in-residence programme, which allows artists to freely express themselves and take risks without the usual commercial pressure.
Good to know Twee Jonge Gezellen is cashless; only card payments.
Opening times Monday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Cellar tastings: 10am, 12pm, 2pm
Cost R80
Site Specific tasting: R100
Contact 023 230 0680, info@krone.world
Where to find it Twee Jonge Gezellen Road, Tulbagh
Book through DinePlan
Stay awhile
You’ve driven all this way, so why not stay overnight in town at Dar El Qamar – a similarly peaceful and history-filled place that was once an actual monastery and more recently an artist’s home and studio. The three-bedroom home has an eclectic mix of decor styles, from midcentury modern and funky 70s to contemporary, and plenty of lovely spaces to amuse and delight – the plunge pool and sauna, gourmet’s kitchen, dining and braai courtyards, and the lounge with its turntable and vinyls. There’s also a yoga studio and treatment room.
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