Our very popular monthly tasting lunches are finally back. We’ve missed them (I mean you) so think fast and book now to attend the first tasting lunch in over a year!
What: a visit to the farm, a view of the cellar, a taste of our wines with Adi and a three-course lunch by Charl and team.
When: Saturday 12 June from 12:30
Where: our home, Kalmoesfontein farm on the Paardeberg
How: mail semma@aabadenhorst.com to book a spot; at R550per person all included.
Every day Mina and Charl prepare a hearty balanced farm lunch for the the team – using fresh produce grown right here and meat from our surrounding farms. We are now opening this lunch up to a maximum of 8 extra seats per day.
Join us for lunch, Mondays – Fridays at 12h30.
For R225pp you’ll get in on the daily menu (including freshly baked bread and farm butter) + a glass of wine + coffee.
The view, the farm atmosphere and chit chat with the team free of charge.
You’ll also be able to buy wine at cellar door prices and grab some of our locally made products (like bread, butter, ice cream, capers, preserves and more) and free range eggs.
Please note – no tastings or cellar tours will be on offer unless specifically arranged in advance.
Book a seat 24 hours before via taste@aabadenhorst.com or on 022 125 0116.
On Sunday 5 December we are welcoming chefs Wesley and Juliet Randles back* onto Kalmoesfontein to cook a fantastic lunch.
The menu sounds amazing, wine will be available at cellar door prices and we would love to see you there.
For more info or to book, contact them via info@randlesandson.com
*Mr and Mrs Randles got married on the farm and this time they are returning with their son Jack.
We are proud to share that we are now an award-winning authentic South African experience!
Charl, Mina and the team were honoured by The Wine and Food Tourism Conference with the honour of The VINPRO Authentic South African Experience Award 2020.
“This award acknowledges original initiatives that create authentic South African experiences in which individuals can fully immerse themselves, and at the same time promote our cultural heritage through food and wine.”
To find out more about booking a food and wine experience on the farm, click here.
Occasionally we like to remind followers of (and visitors to) our blog to also follow and like our other online pages. We are much more active on the likes of Instagram and Facebook with going-ons, like
features from afar | Adi’s birthday | Swartland mixed cases & online tastings
adventurous and or – | romantic – farm visits | our weekly farm fresh box
About The Kalmoesfontein Box:
From the rusk recipe that Yoliswa started baking with when we first arrived on the farm and Judy’s long beloved marmalades to Charl’s ice-cream successes and the butter Hanneke started churning during lockdown – we’ve always been baking and making, preserving and preparing things grown on the farm in order to elevate meals served from the kitchen.
So, since it seems boxes are the new baskets and we now make enough products of origin Kalmoesfontein, we’ve put together OUR OWN BOX.
delivered to your door*.
The specific weekly box combo gets sent out on (most**) Tuesdays – let me know on aabadenhorstwine@gmail.com if you want to be on the mailing list.
*Swartland, Cape Town and in between only.
**Subject to availability…
Also, coming soon, daily opportunities to lunch with the team. But, more on that via one or all of our platforms, just now…
The global phenomenon of Lockdown reached us in the Swartland too. We are however super fortunate to live on a farm where ‘not leaving your property’ and keeping our staff safe at home means we have more than enough to keep busy.
The South African Government has put a halt to all liquor sales (insert debate here) which also means we have been taking a closer look at the other things we juggle on the property.
As you can see on our Sidelines page on this website, we do not only produce wine… pretty sure that if you are a fan of the wines you know about Caperitif, probably Swaan Tonic too and likely The 4th Rabbit… but taking heed from our president, lets put a cork in that and look at the other little projects and produce.
Caper berries:
About five years ago Adi started looking for a local producer of capers and well, found none. So in true Adi style he decided to do something about it himself. Up on the east facing slopes of the Paardeberg, where no vineyards grew and some invasive trees had recently been eradicated, we planted Capparis spinosa in between the rows of local trees that we had established.
Year on year the plants have produced more and more berries, this year our crop is standing at 900kgs – and the bushes are still flowering.
The work is labour intensive ( and on a good day one person harvests about 900grams) and the process intense (especially as it is go season over Christmas and New Year) but it provides a few local ladies with steady work and income.
Breads:
The internet is all the rage with sourdough starters at the moment as people, locked inside their houses and avoiding the shops, are trying to bake their own bread.
Charl has been ahead of the trend for a while – but bread baking has a starter on the farm years before he joined the team. First Xoliswa then Molla baked fresh farm white bread for the cellar crew during harvest time (everyone fighting for the crust) and a few years later we started baking those breads to put in the cottage so that a fresh bread smell would welcome guests checking in.
When Charl (the younger Badenhorst brother) and his wife moved to the mountain they brought to the team a new set of skills and passions. So Charl cooks (with his mother’s guidance and recipes) for lunches and small events on the farm and during the winter of 2019 him and his team got schooled in sourdough.
Apart from the bread basket, Charl has also become the pizza oven master and these are a firm farm favourite.
(Spot the capers!)
Eggs:
With many chickens come many eggs. Used mostly on the farm – again for feeding hungry crew (and kids), stocking the cottages and as an ingredient in Judy’s recipes. Hannes (that’s Cornelia’s brother who joined the team about two years ago as a general Mr Fix-It, but more on the family-team in another post) started keeping track of the hens’ laying track record, showed up with big trays and started selling them off.
Rooibos:
In an attempt to establish a Caperitif garden, to grow as many of the 45 ingredients here on the property, we planted some Rooibos in September last year. A few weeks ago we harvested 500kgs from the 0.5ha plantation. Read more about it on the Caperitif blog (click click).
Swaan:
And then lastly, for now, Swaan, our Cape Dry Tonic Water. We started making this one shortly after the Caperitif project took off, as craft tonic was still scarce back then. See, can’t find what you are looking for, make it…
Like a binge dieter Swaan has had many shapes and sizes but now comes in very cute 200ml bottles, with cans coming soon.
It simple: Persian limes, kai appels; cardamom; mint; water from Voor-Paardeberg; citric acid and quinine. Net so.
So yes, we keep busy. You can listen to Adi chatting about some of this and more on a recent podcast on Ex Amino Wine Company’s Sound Cloud (click here) and keep an eye on our Instagram or Facebook Page to see what we’re keeping busy with in isolation.
Stay well, stay safe.
Our next monthly tasting lunch will take place on 24 August – your chance to see the lush winter landscape of the Swartland and explore all that Kalmoesfontein offers.
The day includes a tour of the cellar, a wine tasting, an introduction to our Agave Spirit, Caperitif and Swaan Cape Tonic as well as a 3 course farm lunch.
We start at 11:30 and it costs R500pp.
This takes place the day before Ayama (just on the south side of the Paardeberg) hosts their annual Artichoke Festival,
and on Friday night we’re playing some vinyls while making some of the famous Kalmoesfontein pizzas in our wood fire oven (2pizzas + a bottle of superlative vintage Secateurs for R300 limited to 30pax)… so why not make a weekend of it and come see what the platteland has to offer.
Unfortunately our accommodation is already fully booked, but to book for Friday or Saturday’s offerings contact Semma@aabadenhorst.com.
As you might know by now, more Badenhorsts have joined us on the Paardeberg. This time in the form of brother Charl and his wife Semma – this power couple moved to the berg in January to help manage the farm, with Semma focussing on accommodation and events.
Which means we get to throw parties during harvest time and make more brides happy and now, add new additions to our repertoire. Like end of year shindings…
Yup, the end of the year is approaching, flippin fast! We suspect that you (and your staff) aren’t blown away by the idea of another end-of-year event at some city bar (or worse, the boardroom in your office…)
That’s why we, the AA Badenhorst family team, have decided to put on our thinking caps and combine our years of diverse event experience and party planning – to come up with something special for your team!
I mean – between us we’ve styled, hosted, planned and conceptualised things on five continents. We’ve been curating our little piece of the Paardeberg for the last decade, but our roots in the Swartland go back generations. We’ve worked with the likes of Visi, Afrikaburn, Elle, Sanctuary Retreats, Sense of Africa, Burning Man (and lots of wonderful things in between) and can create, design and flawlessly execute gatherings of all shapes and sizes.
On our working wine farm, at the end of a dusty road on the slopes of the Paardeberg, we are known for unique experiences. And the bonus is, within an hour from Cape Town’s CBD you will feel like you are in a different country!
We can offer wine /vermouth /tonic /port /mezcal tastings; cellar tours; banquets; hikes; throw-downs under the maypole; live music / DJs; outdoor screenings; glamping and more. As with any event we do, this will be customised as an individual package, according to company needs and with complete exclusivity guaranteed.
If you are looking for an out-of-the-ordinary finale this year you have found it. Start with a e-mail to semma@aabadenhorst.com and we’ll take it from there.
(all images from #agencydayout on instagram)
Cape Town based chef Matt Manning will be hosting his Sunday lunch from the kitchen of The Old House on our farm on 29 July.
Alternatively to complete the booking form, click here.
In the past we’ve been very serious about the “no nothing during harvest” rule. You may have even been on the receiving end of a “no-sorry/are-you-mad? never-in-harvest!” mail…
But that was back in the day when the team was tight and the person doing the tasting would have also been the person braaiing the meat and switching on the pump.
Now we are growing up fast. Early this year Adi’s brother Charl and his lovely wife Semma joined us in the Swartland, and with their wealth of experience in client relations and playing host they have added a new dimension to what we can offer.
So, this February we hosted a few lunches for international groups. Adi’s mom Judy cooks, Semma and Charl hosts and helps prepare food, Cornelia makes everything look amazing and I just have to put out tasting glasses and spittoons while Adi only has to make a quick appearance, tell a joke and pour some wine.
Basically what this post is saying is: You don’t have to be scared to ask us to host a group of people in harvest time any more!
Mail Semma on semma@aabadenhorst.com and you might just be in luck.
Groups of 10 – 30 preferred. 
Badenhorst Family Wines 