Doran Vineyards with Edwin Doran

I was pleased to be invited by owner Edwin Doran to visit him at the Intrepid wine show, so fortified by Bunny Chow I went to meet Edwin and taste his Doran Vineyards Pinotage.

Edwin Doran - Owner Doran Vineyards

Edwin, who was born in Ireland then lived 50 years in England had sold his travel business and gone into partnership with his long time friend South African Andre Badenhorst who’s been deeply involved in some of the Cape’s most iconic wine farms, and has passed on his knowledge to his son, Adi. 

Edwin and Andre bought Far Horizon’s vineyards, and built a modern winery to in which to install winemaker Martin Lamprecht.

The vineyards are in Voor Pardeberg nestling alongside the Swartland, between Wellington and Malmesbury.

I tasted Doran Pinotage 2013. There’s soft fruit on the front palate and gentle fruit flavours throughout. It’s deliciously fresh and delicate – repeat  delicate! - so imagine my amazement when I turned  the bottle to find 14% abv.

Edwin says there's no  pressed juice; that after fermentation wines are only racked and fined before bottling.

Edwin insisted I tried his pink Pinotage, Rosie D 2015, named after Edwin’s wife. 

This looks bright light red in its clear bottle, but is much paler in a glass. The juice was left on its skins for just two hours to get colour bright. I am not a big fan of pink wines but this was enjoyably  dry and refreshing and though dry there’s a welcome touch of the Pinotage variety sweetness on the finish. Its very pleasant and refreshing on a hot day. As Edwin says, “it’s wine, not diluted Calpol.”

Doran Vineyards is a  (yet another) name  new to me, and one whose Pinotage I’d like have more of, and especially to drink with dinner.

I must make an effort to visit during my next visit to the Cape in March.

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