By now most if not all local residents are familiar with the Bramon Wine Estate in The Crags: as much for its immensely popular tapas-style restaurant as for its ground-breaking (and excellent) Sauvignon Blanc Methode Cap Classique.

For visitors it’s a delightful discovery, one that graces our area of the Garden Route with as much additional class as charm, and offers a home-grown Plett product of world-class quality and appeal.
Adding to the overall experience of the superb fare and wines on offer, the geographical situation of Bramon gives it a unique aspect surely unrivalled in any of the traditional Cape wine-land Estates.
To the East one looks across the vines straight to Formosa Peak and to the South-East one can view the elephants at The Elephant Sanctuary as they wonder in their fields. If that’s not enough, if there’s a second’s break in the laughing-eating-drinking commotion, listen out for the chatter of exotic birds at the next-door Birds of Eden forest aviary, and the howls and barks of monkeys and apes at Monkeyland.

Owners Caroline and Peter Thorpe had no intention of planting vines when they originally bought their property in The Crags in 1996, but Peter harbored a love of the wine-farm environment from having grown up on an Estate in the Cape wine-lands, and began research into the suitability of the local soil and climate. After many months of self-education he came to the conclusion that it was in fact – perfect.
‘I don’t know why no-one had planted vines here before. I think there was a misconception that this was not considered a suitable area. I’m not sure why…but it’s probably just because no-one had done it. This area is in fact ideal for the cool-climate cultivars – all the dry White varieties, and Pinot Noir. It’s not suitable for Reds though. It doesn’t get hot enough.’
Suitably assured that it was ‘a go’, Peter planted his first 1ha of vines in 2000 using a virus-free Sauvignon Blanc rootstock from an area of New Zealand famous for its SB and with an almost identical climate. Just three years later he sent a harvest to Peter Ferreira, Master wine-maker at Graham Beck, who called the Thorpes to say that he ‘hadn’t seen grapes of such quality and character before.’
Having taken the first pioneering step of planting the vines, the Thorpes then went on to take another ground-breaking stride: that harvest was vinified at Graham Beck and then bottled for a second fermentation to make South Africa’s (and very possibly the world’s) first Sauvignon Blanc ‘champagne’ – or Methode Cap Classique (bubbly made in the proper ‘champagne’ method – as opposed to ‘sparkling wine’)
Bramon’s 2005 bubbly won a Veritas Award. Peter explains that the 2006 topped the 2005 in quality but was taken off the rack too late to be entered for the awards. The 14000 bottles of the 2007 bubbly is considered even better still….
The next big step for Bramon is the building of the Cellar – ideally ready for the 2010 harvest. Peter plans to be at least ‘very involved’ in the wine-making or do it himself completely. Till then, the Thorpes plan to plant Chardonnay vines this year, and continue to develop the Pinot Noir vines. They also plan to produce a Sauvignon Blanc from the 2008 harvest in addition to the MCC.

As notable as its current success is in itself, Bramon is adding more than just another attraction to Plett. It is the cradle of a new industry in the Greater Plettenberg Bay Area – one that will ultimately benefit the area as much Bramon itself – both from a tourism point of view (yet another reason to put Plett on the itinerary…and to return) and through employment. Few pioneer industries in the Garden Route have or can promise to create as many new employment opportunities as the collective viticulture ventures that are taking root in the area – no less than 10 new private vine plantings from Harkerville to The Crags that have been inspired by Bramon’s success, and given the green flag by the recent demarcation of the area from Harkerville in the West to the sea and to the Northern border of Kurland a Wine of Origin Region.
In addition, the aim of an associated BEE venture, the Vukani Trust, will focus those employment opportunities within the historically disenfranchised community of Kurland – one of the poorest in the Garden Route, geographically far enough from the hitherto primary employment centre of Plettenberg Bay to suffer a labour-supply disadvantage against closer communities, and dependant on employers in the tiny areas of The Crags and Nature’s Valley.
Viticulture is a labour-intensive industry, with 2 people required to prune and monitor the vines per hectare – year around. Then there’s the harvesting, and once the Bramon Cellar is built, the vinification process.
Peter explains that the employment created will be skilled, and training in the ‘arts’ of viticulture, canopy management and vinification will be ongoing for employees.
This training has already begun through the Vukani Trust, and is being conducted by the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute at Stellenbosch. He adds that women in particular will benefit.
Quality is the buzzword, as is professionalism, and, very importantly for the appreciative palate and all other bubbly-lovers, so is style – something that Bramon seems to have plenty of. The popularity of Bramon as a venue and the quality of the Bramon MCC bodes well for the future of Plett as a Wine of Origin Region.

Had a very informative tasting with the viticulturist over the Easter weekend. Firstly it was a pleasure to find them open for tasting on Easter unlike many other estates closer to home. Really interested to hear that there are 17(+?) wine growers in the area although they, Bramon, are the first, and still the only, to produce a bottled product. However, you can expect this Wine of Origin region to grow significantly in the coming years and with dreams of becoming the MCC region of South Africa it will be interesting to see what comes out. Sadly the “still” Sauvignon Blanc was sold out but the MCC is certainly worth a try and whilst I don’t think it lives up to the hefty price tag just yet a bottle of it came home with me for novelty sake nonetheless. The lower range Vukani wines, whilst not being from the area, are also alright and the profits from them support a great empowerment initiative to help skill up locals in the industry.

Die plaas buite Plettenberg se naam is die samevoegsel van die eienaars se kinders se name: Bram en Amon. Die ongewone MCC is geproduseer van Sauvignon Blanc druiwe. Gaan klink gerus ‘n glasie as jy in die omgewing is – die middagetes in die wingerde (letterlik) is legendaries. Berei jou voor op ‘n heftige proefooi vir die borrels. En dalk ‘n tiksel snobisme…