A crucible is a porcelain dish used above a Bunsen burner for achieving chemical reactions that require heat. In figurative terms a crucible is a severe test, the overcoming of which brings about great personal change. Basically, adversity breeds character.

3 October 2004
Heat management is one of the most critical components of a good braai, or barbecue. There are numerous gas-powered barbecues, but for the traditionalists doing the grilling for Cloof’s Gourmet BBQs this is too much of a compromise. No, the job is best done by real coals derived from a real fire. Using old vine stumps as firewood has been the practical – and perhaps somewhat sentimental – choice. However, the drawback of wingerdstompies (vine stumps) is that their coals lose heat quickly, so they constantly need to be augmented from an adjacent fire.

Born of a Belgian father and a German mother, Christopher van Dieren studied winemaking from 1984 in Bordeaux. He emigrated to South Africa in 1990, and worked for several wineries in the Stellenbosch region, culminating in Slaley, where he made South Africa’s first-ever five-star Shiraz, the Slaley 1998.

7 July 2004

The main source of grapes for Cloof wines, other than our own vineyards, is our neighbouring farm, Burghers Post. This farm comprises about 210 hectares of vineyards, most of which were established under the management of Peter Duckitt between 1998 and 2000.

Cloof, producer of South Africa’s Champion Pinotage in 2001, as well as a Decanter 5 Star Cabernet, recently earned yet another prestigious accolade.