Die Mas van Kakamas

Eight hundred kilometres north of Cape Town, where the Orange River cuts through the semi-arid plains of the Northern Cape, the town of Kakamas sits in an improbable oasis of irrigation canals and green farmland. It was here, on the banks of the river, that the Hanekom family established Die Mas van Kakamas in 1970 — a farm that would grow from a modest grape-growing operation into one of the most distinctive wine and spirits destinations in South Africa.

Kakamas itself is a product of human ingenuity. The town was founded in 1898 as a labour colony for impoverished Afrikaners, who carved an elaborate network of water tunnels and canals through solid rock to bring the Orange River's water to the surrounding land. That same spirit of making something from nothing runs through Die Mas. The Hanekom family began with table grapes and raisins — the traditional crops of the Orange River region — before recognising the potential to produce wine and, crucially, brandy from the sun-drenched vineyards along the river.

Today, Die Mas is a multifaceted agricultural estate that produces export table grapes, raisins, wine, brandy, and more recently gin. The wine cellar offers a wide range of varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz, Merlot, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. But it is the fortified wines and brandies that truly set Die Mas apart. The Red Muscadel is sweet and layered, the Hanepoot richly perfumed, and the Cape Vintage port-style wine carries the warmth of the Northern Cape sun in every sip. The estate's copper pot-still brandies — including a five-year and a ten-year XO — have earned serious recognition, with the Kalahari Truffle Potstill brandy winning gold at both the Vitis Vinifera and Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards.

The estate has expanded well beyond its cellar. Quaint self-catering chalets and a scenic campsite line the banks of the Orange River, offering visitors a base from which to explore the stark beauty of the Northern Cape. A cosy lapa restaurant serves hearty food and drinks on selected days, and the tasting room offers wine and brandy flights without appointment.

Die Mas is emphatically off the beaten track — a family-owned estate in a region where most tourists are passing through on the way to the Augrabies Falls or the Kalahari. That remoteness is part of its charm. The vineyards here benefit from extreme diurnal temperature variation, with scorching days and cool desert nights that concentrate flavour in ways the coastal regions cannot replicate. For travellers willing to venture beyond the familiar Winelands, Die Mas van Kakamas offers something no Stellenbosch estate can: the silence of the Karoo, the orange glow of the river at sunset, and wines forged in one of South Africa's most extreme terroirs.