KWV

KWV Review

Short for Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging (Cooperative Winegrowers' Association), KWV regulated and controlled the Cape wine industry for decades. This is no longer the case, and KWV is seeking to redefine itself as a top wine and spirit producer and has a number of labels. Its brandies, sherries, and fortified dessert wines regularly garner gold medals, and it produces an enormous selection of excellent wines. KWV's cellars are some of the largest in the world, covering around 55 acres, and its cellar tours are the most popular and crowded in the Winelands. Among the highlights is the famous Cathedral Cellar, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and giant vats carved with scenes from the history of Cape wine making. In an adjoining cellar you can see the five largest vats in the world under one roof. The tour begins with a short audiovisual presentation and ends with a tasting of some of KWV's products. Australian cellar master Richard Rowe is already making his mark. Wines made in the heavy old-world style are spending less time in old wood and getting a lighter touch.