Klein Karoo
The Klein or Little Karoo is a semidesert basin parallel to the coast of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by mountains on three sides. The Langenberg and Outeniqua mountains form the southern border, running continuously west to east and blocking marine influence. Parallel ranges north of Calitzdorp separate the Klein Karoo from the vast Great Karoo. It has extreme climate variations, with very hot areas producing some of the country’s finest sweet and fortified wines, and very cool mountainous sites still being explored and identified.
At the west end is the town and ward of Montagu, where sweet wines are made from Muscat à Petits Grains and Muscat de Frontignan, both known here as Muscadel . Continuing east along the mountain slopes are most recently declared ward Tradouw Highlands and Tradouw, its lower-lying neighbor. Langeberg-Garcia is a small district following the contours of the Langeberg mountains. In the region’s center, the rural village of Calitzdorp gives its name to the district known as the Port capital of the Cape. Although use of the word “Port” has been prohibited on labels since 2005, wines made in vintage and tawny Port styles from traditional Portuguese grape varieties have achieved high levels of quality here. Conditions have much in common with Portugal’s Douro region, with less rain. Summers are hot, winter nights are cold, and soils are well-drained but poor and rocky. The Upper Langkloof ward, a narrow strip on the northern slopes of the Outeniqua Mountains which separate the Klein Karoo from the Cape South Coast, is also a low rainfall area, but much cooler. At its western tip is the cool and mountainous Outeniqua ward.
On the north side of the Swartberg mountains are two stand-alone wards, Swartberg and Prince Albert. The latter is a bit of a gourmet center, with a cooking school, an abundance of fruit trees, and artisan cheeses and ham, at the foot of a spectacular mountain pass. |
(Klein Karoo, South Africa) 