TTT Cellars is situated in the picturesque Little Karoo town of Calitzdorp, on the R62, as you enter from the Oudtshoorn side. Calitzdorp is known as the Port Capital of South Africa and is famous for its port style fortified wines as well as Portuguese red and white varietals, due to the fact that the soil and climate is so similar to that of Porto and the Douro Valley Wine Region of Portugal.

TTT Cellars was the brainchild of the late Ashley Mason. Ashley and his wife Pat lived and worked in Port Elizabeth but fell in love with Calitzdorp and decided to buy a property there. TTT stands for “things take time” which is certainly true of wine production, and most good things which are worth waiting for!

In 2020 they bought the house at 41 Voortrekker Street and Ashley set up his garage and started to make wine, after completing a garagister’s course. His efforts grew and the garage soon became too small. The Masons then purchased the land next door and set about building a wine cellar to accommodate Ashley’s growing business. Ashley spent as much time as he could in Calitzdorp, while still running his electrical business in Port Elizabeth. The wine making went from strength to strength and Ashley produced some very good wines and port style fortified wines, for which he won several awards. Tragically, Ashley passed away in 2006, following a massive heart attack.

The cellar stood empty for three years, until Graham and Cheryl Anley saw it in August 2020 on a visit to Calitzdorp. They immediately fell in love with the property and put in an offer to Pat to purchase the cellar and the house, which was accepted.

The timing of the Anleys’ visit was serendipitous as they had been wanting to retire from their real estate franchise in Plettenberg Bay, and this presented an opportunity of a new lifestyle in the beautiful Little Karroo, an area much loved by them both.