Situated in the heart of the Durbanville Wine Valley you will find our family-owned and operated wine cellar. Although not intentionally award-driven, there is no denying the status of our Wine of Origin Cape Town, boutique wines. For us, being handmade is more than just a physical process and approach, it is about perfecting the small details along the way while treating each batch of juice with respect throughout its journey from the vine to Nitida wines. It is also about working with nature and thereby ensuring that the wine embodies our attitude and brand.
Nitida embodies devotion, passion and aspiration. Stroll through our cellar, take delight in our wine tastings and dine with us at Cassia Restaurant or Tables at Nitida.
History in the making. How does a small Durbanville property running a flock of 50 sheep, 2 cows and a sheepdog consequently become one of South Africa’s most successful small wine cellars? This type of fairy tale only gets written when a few very special ingredients get blended with a number of happy coincidences. So, what was their Nitida recipe and how did they become part of the Durbanville Wine Valley?
In 1990, they found a beautiful piece of soil, just “to live on” and then started adding some magic ingredients; Peta’s mother, the wonderful “Matriarch” that helped the family finance the farm. They also found a 1971 Ford tractor which they promptly named Pufford; Klaas, who taught them how to milk a cow and chase down sheep and the final, most essential element was energy and wonderful people.
In 1992, Bernhard took a week off work so he, Klaas and Pufford could plant a couple of vineyards. The plan was to only make a few barrels. Three years later, they won their first double-gold Sauvignon Blanc and in 2001 they were recognized as a benchmark Semillon producer.
In 2014, the winemaker Daniel Keulder joined the company from Groot Constantia and became part of our Nitida family!
Now 28 years on, this family owned and run cellar is one of the most consistently awarded and loved boutique wine cellars in South Africa with a host of double gold, gold and silver medals, a few 5 star platters and countless awards and certificates.
Daniel Keulder is the unsung hero of the vineyards. Taking grapes and turning it into award-winning local and international wines. Daniel is a creative mind, that takes inspiration from the terroir, the wild critters living among the vines and the balance in the soil. Daniel prides himself on being part of a team and not the celebrity that does it all on his own. They love this about their winemaker and they believe in his instinct to keep Nitida beautiful and handmade with attitude.
Danie joined the team in December 2014. Coming from 5 years of making wine at Groot Constantia, he brings with him a great love and understanding of working with cool climate grapes. It’s a given that he will continue to make stunning wines with them and perhaps his experience in making craft beer becomes part of their future Nitida culture!
HANDMADE THE NITIDA WAY
At Nitida, “We completely believe that beautiful wines come from day to day thoughtful management in the vineyards.” During harvest at Nitida, although we don’t discount analyses, we pick on the tried and true indicators of flavour and appearance. We pick each bunch of grapes by hand, choosing only the very best for our wines. We inspect our vineyards every day to ensure the leaves, buds and bunches are healthy and to check that the spiders and ladybirds are alive and well.
THE STORY BEHIND THE LABEL
We have won numerous awards for our wine labels and have had big admiration from our friends, but behind all that recognition is an untold story. The story behind our label.
Our labels were not a quick design sketched by an agency and sent off to the printers. No, quite the opposite. We spent months thinking of the best way to incorporate everything Nitida stands for. To capture the essence of the estate, our wine’s unique characters and to give our friends far away a little bit of home.
Our label illustrations were hand drawn using inks made from our Nitida tree leaves. Inspired by protea nitidus in our garden, they also feature local Renosterveld plants and some of the creatures who share the farm with us.
West Coast Renosterveld – Estimated that only three percent of this critically endangered and hugely fragmented vegetation type remains and loss is due to agriculture having taken over these highly nutritive soil areas. Other wild critters include, Cape Eagle Owl, Cape Clawless Otter, the Golden Orb spider, Yellowbilled Duck, Cape Cobra and protea Nitida tree (waboom).
No products found
Exceptionally aromatic with aromas of violets, hints of blackberry, blackcurrant and black plum on the nose. There is some spice that is balanced with fresh acidity and minerality. A long finish with ripe but firm tannins.
Dow's Senhora da Ribeira can be enjoyed anytime and pairs wonderfully with chocolate desserts and soft cheeses like creamy Stilton or Roquefort.
Review:
Rich and fruity, this wine is packed with intense black-currant flavors. It is perfumed, ripe with a good tannic background. The density of the wine and the firm structure point to a long aging process. Drink this beautifully structured wine from 2026.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Winemaking:
Senhora da Ribeira has one of the most advanced specialist wineries in the Douro, combining the best of traditional winemaking practice, evolved over centuries, and the latest state-of-the-art automated systems. Three granite ‘lagares’ for foot treading are complemented by three ‘robotic’ lagares, designed by the Symington family and installed in the quinta’s winery in 2001.
It has long been recognised that traditional treading produced some of the finest Ports, but there are some drawbacks involved in traditional treading; temperature control is difficult, there is a limit to how long people are willing to tread and they need to sleep. The winemaker’s options are therefore limited, he or she cannot order treading at different times through the night, or pull people off the picking team at will. Furthermore, emptying the traditional lagar takes a long time; in the meantime the fermentation process is accelerating away. A further handicap arose over recent years, when an increasing scarcity of labour obliged producers to look for less labour-intensive vinification solutions. The Symingtons opted to devise a mechanical means of replicating the proven method of foot treading. The result was the Symington ‘robotic lagar’, an automated treading machine which exactly replicates the gentle action of the human foot and which has revolutionised winemaking in the Douro Valley. This equipment is very expensive but the results have been so good that an increasing proportion of Dow’s finest wines are now made in these automated lagares. Approximately half of the wines for Dow’s much praised 2003 Vintage were vinified in them.
The Senhora da Ribeira’s Quinta Vintage Ports have amassed a highly impressive number of awards: three Gold Medals at the International Wine Challenge, (2008, 2006 and 2001, for the 2005, 2002 and 1999 Vintages, respectively) as well as seven Silver Medals and two Gold Medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (London, 2008 for the 2005 Vintage and 2002 for the 1998 Vintage). In September 2006, Jancis Robinson MW wrote, “One very exciting new bottling is Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira 2004...this single quinta bottling demonstrates superb quality with wonderful vibrancy. Great wine in any context - not that unlike some California reds! This is definitely a wine to look out for when it is released.”
Wine Profile
The very hot climate through the summer at this vineyard results in highly complex and concentrated wines but very low yields. Colours of the musts in the fermentation tanks are always purple-black due to the very high skin to juice ratio. The old vines add further to the intensity of the wine as they make up a very large percentage of the vineyard. The resulting wine can be described as being the essence of Vintage Port, with powerful wild red-fruit flavours, leading into rich black chocolate notes, the whole balanced by complex, attractive and peppery tannins.
One of the Douro’s most beautiful vineyards, Senhora da Ribeira is located 24km (15 miles) upriver from Quinta do Bomfim in the remote Douro Superior. The vineyard commands a magnificent north bank position, overlooking a broad sweep of the Douro, directly opposite another famous Symington owned vineyard: Quinta do Vesuvio. Senhora de Ribeira was built close to an ancient river crossing, guarded by two 12th century castles on either side of the river built by the Moors during their centuries long occupation of Iberia. A small chapel dedicated to the ‘Lady of the River’ (literally: Senhora da Ribeira) has stood here for centuries and gave the quinta its name. Travellers would pause here to ask for a safe river passage and onward journey.
Senhora da Ribeira’s wines are some of the finest in the Douro and they complement those from Bomfim in the composition of Dow’s classic Vintage Ports. The quinta’s high proportion of old vines (45% are over 25 years old) is of critical importance. The old vines are very low-yielding, producing on average less than 1Kg of grapes each, giving intense and concentrated musts which are ideal for classic Vintage Port. The remainder of the vineyard was replanted as follows: 21% in 2001 and 34% from 2004, the latter involving mainly Touriga Nacional vines. This grape variety - very important for Vintage Port - now represents almost exactly a third of the total planted at the quinta. The entire vineyard has the maximum ‘A’ rating.
As with Bomfim, the consistency of the climate plays a key role, although the rainfall is only half of that experienced at Bomfim: 448mm is the 10 year average. This more extreme climate, hot dry summers and cold, equally dry winters results in wines with unique depth of colour and complexity.
As with Quinta do Bomfim, the best Ports from Senhora de Ribeira are used to make Dow’s Vintage Ports in the great and rare ‘Declared’ years. In the good year’s when Dow’s does not ‘declare’ a Vintage, the best wines of ‘The Lady of the River’ are bottled as Dow’s Quinta de Senhora da Ribeira Vintage Port. They will tend to mature a little earlier than the very rare ‘Declared’ years, but can be every bit as good as some other Vintage Ports.
The wine offers a touch of pear, spice and dried fruit aromas on the nose, and exotic fruit characters. Minerality emerges from the primary rock soils, followed by an elegant and lively finish.
Chicken and pork dishes, good food companion to many dishes.