Twee Jonge Gezellen

On the northwest corner of the Tulbagh wine region, where the Witzenberg mountains shelter one of the oldest continuously farmed properties in South Africa, Twee Jonge Gezellen has been writing firsts into Cape winemaking history for over three centuries. The estate was among 14 farms established after 1700, when Governor Willem van der Stel expanded settlement beyond Cape Town into the Winterberg and Witzenberg valleys. By the twentieth century, it had become a serious wine-producing operation, and in the 1950s its cellar master invented cold fermentation -- a technique that would transform white winemaking across the country.

The sparkling wine story begins with Nicky Krone, who won South African Champion Estate Winemaker in 1978 and introduced night harvesting at Twee Jonge Gezellen in the early 1980s to preserve grape aromatics in Tulbagh's warm climate. Krone had a passion for champagne and set out to create a world-class Cap Classique on the estate. A devastating earthquake in 1969 had delayed such ambitions by two decades, but in 1987 Krone produced his first vintage of Borealis Cuvee Brut. Released in 1991, it announced a new generation of South African sparkling wine. Beneath the farm lies Africa's first underground cellar, where vintage Cap Classiques are hand-turned in traditional pupitres and matured on the lees for periods ranging from eighteen months to over sixteen years.

In 2004, Nicky's son Matthew Krone took over cellar responsibilities, continuing the family's dedication alongside his mother Mary Krone, who had been the driving force behind building the brand. Then in 2012, the Rands family -- whose patriarch Tim founded Vinimark wine distribution in 1985 -- purchased the estate. Today the operation is led by siblings Svend and Abigail Rands, with renowned Cape winemaker Rudiger Gretschel serving as cellar master. In 2017, the 300-year-old property underwent a comprehensive renovation, blending its heritage architecture with contemporary design to create a striking tasting room and gallery space.

The Krone range is exclusively vintage-only Cap Classique, made from hand-harvested Chardonnay and Pinot Noir picked under moonlight. The portfolio spans from the flagship Borealis Cuvee Brut and Rose Cuvee Brut through the premium Night Nectar range -- including Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noir and Rose -- to site-specific single-vineyard bottlings from Koelfontein, Kaaimansgat and the Twee Jonge Gezellen home vineyard. The crown jewel is the R.D. (Recently Disgorged), matured on the lees for over a decade before release. A Chefs In Residence culinary programme and Krone x WITW Gallery artist residencies round out a cultural offering that extends well beyond the glass.