Peter Bayly Wines

In the quaint Klein Karoo hamlet of Caltizdorp, world famous for its fine wines, dried fruits and hospitality, there is a winding dirt road that leads one out of town and into the picture perfect Groenfontein Valley. As the dirt road takes one ever deeper into the Groenfontein winding its way along the rambling Nel’s River and majestic hillsides covered in Spekbome, Aloes and all manner of Karoo succulents, you near an undiscovered vinous gem with the towering peaks of the mighty Swartberg as backdrop. At a hairpin right hander, one finds a small sign post with a portly golden flying pig emblazoned on it and then you know you’ve found the place where dreams do come true, as then you’ve found the Baylys and their secret patch of vines. Peter and Yvonne Bayly, headed into this secluded valley over a decade ago to fulfil their life-long dream of crafting artisanal wines and “live free-range” in one of the most majestic areas of South Africa.

At a bend in the river, with an imposing Spekboom covered hillside as shield, lies a meticulously tended 1.2 hectares of Tinta Barocca, Touriga Naçional and Souzão planted in between ancient red soils and glacial boulders. These Portuguese varietals were chosen by the Baylys in 2000, with the explicit aim of crafting the finest Cape Port and distinctive Klein Karoo red wines.

Although Groenfontein lies deep within the semi-arid Klein Karoo, it is blessed with an abundance of water, sniping cold winters and mild summers – the row direction and proximity of the vineyard to the massive hillside insure that they are in shadow from two o’clock onwards every day. These temperate conditions result in low yielding vines and a longer slower ripening period, which results in fruit with intense colour and flavour complexity. The exceptional fruit quality and artisanal wine making techniques – including natural fermentation in lagares (traditional Portuguese open-fermentation vessels), foot treading, manual pigeage, minimal pumping and maturation in seasoned large volume French oak barrels – result in limited quantities of distinctive handcrafted premium wines.

With all this said, all one really needs to do is open a bottle of the Baylys’ fine Cape Vintage Port, scintillating Cape White Port or the groundbreaking red blend, simply named III, and then you’ll be able to taste that “dreams do come true”.