Category Archives: kalmoesfontein

News and updates

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While Adi is in the USA life continues on Kalmoesfontein.


I finally received (two!) images from the Swartland Oesaf Party (harvest festival) that was held on Kalmoesfontein on April 1st. The venue and the Rosé at the venue… Hopefully someone will send more pics soon!





Other news is that we bottled some Secateurs Red blend 2010 last week (more info and notes on this wine soon) and this week it is time to bottle some Rosé…



And Adi gets mentioned in a post about South Africa’s wine of origin on the Montreal Gazette…


“Swartland:
 This is the new frontier in South African wines. Winemakers like Eben Sadie (Sadie Family Wines), Craig Hawkins (Lammershoek) and Adi Badenhorst (Badenhorst Family Wines), all love their chenin blanc, and for the most part eschew technological winemaking and concentrate on grape growing. As Sadie preached, “We are on the 33rd parallel. Why are we trying to grow grapes that are best on the 44th (Bordeaux)?”


So this the place for the syrah, mourvèdre and other heat-loving vines.”


Take note of Swartland. he says… well IN-DEED…

Cornelia’s new farm style

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A while ago we reported on Mrs Badenhorst’s wardrobe dilemma… Well fashion guru Chris Viljoen has come up with a solution on his Afrikaans blog Die Rok… Chris took Cornelia shopping for some lovely lady like t-shirts and pretty scarves. 


Have a look at his post and keep an eye out for more pictures. Here’s to looking good anywhere, any time.

Wine Revolutionaries

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Bloomberg writer Elin McCoy recently visited the Swartland. She spent time with neighbour, friend and fellow revolutionary Eben Sadie in his cellar, enjoyed a sundowner at the top of the Babylon’s Peak with neighbour Stephan Basson and ended her near perfect day with a braai with us on Kalmoesfontein.


Read her adventure and thoughts on the Swartland here.



quote: the most exciting winemaker in South Africa – unquote

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Our UK agents at Swig Wine recommended our wines to their loyal customers this week. Says the report on www.swig.co.uk: “There are rumours that say he was grown from stem cells on Elvis’s sideburns, but all we know is that Adi Badenhorst is the most exciting winemaker in South Africa”

There is also a lovely collection of reviews for our Family Estate wines and Secateurs Range, and with these amazing deals you will wish you were a loyal Swig buyer… 


“He’s like one of those eastern gurus who lets you see that the answer was in front of you all the time, you only had to change your focus to see it.”

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Harry Haddon, our fan and friend, recently discovered our “Wine” thanks to Shirley at Vino Pronto .



He has written a lovely flattering blog post about it, you can read the whole article on his blog, Wine & I, but to sum it up, Harry says:


“What is imortant is that it is a wine got that my wahoo flowing, it made me smile, it made me quickly pour another glass, and best of all (this for me is a really important aspect of wine) it made me want another bottle. Quickly.”


Glad we could rock your boat Mr Haddon…

Farm Fashion

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Elle Magazine’s Fashion Director Chris Viljoen has started his own Afrikaans Fashion Blog www.dierok.co.za.


Cornelia (Badenhorst, mother and wife extraordinaire) features in his first “closet dilemma” as she tries to find the balance between Mom on a school-run; keeping the builders on their toes; picking veggies in the garden and playing host to various journalists or agents who pop in for lunch with Adi… all in the 40’C Swartland summer… 


Read the whole story here. 

Harvest news~

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It has been a busy few weeks on the farm, but I have finally received a harvest report from Adi… It is filled with Adi charm, so I am not even going to edit it (much…:)
The Harvest team takes a break to have some lunch.


“The winery is running like a dow on rough seas – bumpy but steadfast. The crew are all looking very good and we have picked some amazing parcels of grapes.

New additions are Palomino (or Fransdruif as it’s known by the old timers and not to be confused with your favourite old donkey) from the Moutonshoek area, very old vines, very little juice and destined for our fledgling sherry project; Verdehlo from a tiny vineyard to the north of the Swartland appellation and some Clairette Blanche from an abandoned vineyard on the Paardeberg.

Our own white grapes have almost all been harvested – Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Gris, Colombard, Chardonnay to name but a few. The juices are safely in the vats and at different stages of fermentation – the cellar smells incredible and alive. The soothing sounds of natural fermentation…

As far as the red grapes are concerned, we have picked the Syrah/Shiraz blocks and are now starting with the old Cinsault and Grenache. These vines are between 50 and 60 yrs old and are looking the best they have ever looked and are vital in our blend.

Other than  that we have a good supply of cold beer and the best espressos in the southern hemisphere to keep us going so have no reason not to make good wines this year.”


Oh, I love it when a plan comes together! Tomorrow night special friends and family gather at the Kalmoesfontein Cellar for the annual foot stomping of some grapes… There will sure be some cool pictures and news to report on Monday, till then… Cheers!