Peter Bayly Wines

Peter Bayly Wines is a tiny, fiercely independent winery in the Groenfontein Valley near Calitzdorp, where the Klein Karoo meets the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains. Peter and Yvonne Bayly headed into this secluded valley over two decades ago to fulfil a lifelong dream: crafting artisanal Cape Port in one of the most remote and beautiful corners of South Africa.

The Baylys planted their 1.2-hectare vineyard to three classic Portuguese port varieties — Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barocca, and Souzao — chosen in 2000 with the explicit aim of making the finest fortified wines in the Cape. The vines grow in shale and quartz-rich soils at a bend in the river, with the majestic Swartberg as their backdrop. From this minuscule vineyard, the estate produces between 7,000 and 9,000 bottles annually — a scale that borders on hobbyist but with a quality that commands serious attention.

The winemaking is uncompromisingly traditional. Grapes undergo natural fermentation in lagares, the traditional Portuguese open-fermentation vessels, and are trodden by foot in the ancient manner. Manual pigeage, minimal pumping, and maturation in seasoned large-volume French oak barrels complete the process. There is nothing mechanised or industrial about Peter Bayly Wines; every bottle is the product of hands-on craft in the truest sense.

The range is focused and distinctive: a Cape Vintage Port, a Cape Late Bottled Vintage, a Cape White Port, and a Cape Pink Port (a vintage rose style). Alongside these fortified wines, the Baylys produce the Peter Bayly III, a dry red blend from the same Portuguese varieties that showcases the Klein Karoo terroir in table-wine form.

Calitzdorp has long been recognised as South Africa's port capital, and Peter Bayly is among the appellation's most respected small producers. The cellar door is open for tastings on Route 62, and visitors who make the journey to this remote valley are rewarded with wines of remarkable depth and character, poured by the winemaker himself.

The Groenfontein Valley is part of the broader Route 62 wine trail, but it feels a world apart from the Cape Winelands. The semi-arid Klein Karoo climate, with its hot summers and cold winters, is ideally suited to the Portuguese port varieties that thrive in similar conditions in the Douro Valley. Peter Bayly's commitment to the traditional lagar method — labour-intensive and time-consuming though it is — produces fortified wines of remarkable concentration, with the fruit weight and tannic structure to age gracefully for decades. For lovers of Cape Port, a visit to this secluded cellar is a pilgrimage worth making.