The Grapevine at the Baltimore Magazine chose our Secateurs Chenin as a “summer chill out wine” along with Charles & Charles Rosé 2011 and the one liter tetra pack Yellow + Blue Select Red 2010…

“With its inviting peach tones, juicy demeanor, and dry finish, Badenhorst Family Wines Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2011 ($16, The Country Vintner) is a clear winner to accompany your dinner outside. This is South Africa at its finest—honoring the traditional wines of Europe (“sécateurs” are what the French call pruning shears), but in a style that’s just a little plumper, rounder, and with more mass appeal. Chill it on ice and serve it with everything from shrimp salad to cold barbecue. And it’s a screw cap, so the corkscrew is one less thing to pack.”

read it all here.

Father (in-law) Jan Boland Coetzee featured in Wine Goggle‘s list of South African winemakers with “French souls”.

“His way with words, people, ideas and his take on the wine-makers life make him a national treasure” – a boer first, a winemaker second.

Read more about Jan and the others on the list (Pieter Ferreira, Alwyn Liebenberg, Hannes Storm and Abrie Beeslaar) in the full article.

Eric Asimof from The New York Times recently tasted a few South African Chenin Blancs with Florence Fabricant, Pascaline Lepeltier, wine director at Rouge Tomate, and Carla Rzeszewski, wine director of the Spotted Pig, the Breslin and the John Dory Oyster Bar.

They were expecting pleasant tasting, but it seems they were disapointed in general.

A few of the issues: “But many of the wines we tasted were hard to identify as chenin blanc. They lacked the signature floral, minerals and citrus aromas and flavors, often underscored by a suggestion of honey.”

“Sadly, many of the wines also lacked the structural hallmark of chenin blanc: great acidity.”

“What could the problem have been? Here, we must speculate. Were the wines excessively manipulated? That is, were the grapes lacking in balance, requiring winemakers to add acid, which can sometimes seem artificial, or carbon dioxide, which can lighten a wine and make it seem fruity, for a little while, anyway?”

luckily, just when I was getting a little ancious reading the article, things turned out alright for us: “Even so, we found some wines that we liked quite a bit, like our No. 1 bottle, the 2010 Secateurs from Badenhorst Family Wines in Swartland, which was full bodied yet well shaped and distinctly chenin blanc. Though it was not the cheapest among our top 10, it was our best value at $16 because we liked it so much better.”

Read the whole article here, it has some interesting insights.

We are delighted to inform you of a new offering we have conjured up after a few cellar espressos. 

TASTING BRUNCH SATURDAYS

You woun’t find fancy tasting rooms, staff in starched black shirts and embroidered aprons or a tranquil restaurant or bistro on Kalmoesfontein – but you will be handed a glass as you follow Adi around the grounds, through the cellar and into “the old house”.

Since we are not officially open for tastings we have decided to host Tasting Brunch Saturdays. Once a month you are invited to come walk around with Adi as he pours you some wines (old vintages, unreleased blends, red, white, pink, uncertified, fortified, you name it) from vats, concrete tanks and bottles in and around the cellar.

While you are doing this the kids can play with the dogs, run around on the grass, watch Samuel gather eggs from under the hens and let him show them the pigs, rabbits, horses, birds (of the world) and Lilly the little sheep.

After the tasting tour you can buy some wine (at the cellar door price) and stay for brunch if you wish.

Costs: R150 pp tasting and brunch / R50 pp tasting only / R60 pp for kids under 18

The menu will always be the same (so we can improve every time and because most of the ingredients are sourced locally.)

Farm breads and jam
Eggs benedict on herb rosti with crispy bacon and hollandaise sauce
Roasted ripe tomatoes and fesh herbs
Waterblommetjie quiches
Boerewors on the braai

Tea and coffee.

The first four dates are: July 14th, August 4th, September 1st, October 6th.

We can handle up to 30 people on any given Saturday. 

Mail Helena aabadenhorstwine@gmail.com if you are interested, please include the number of people as well as the preferred date.

Big moment on Kalmoesfontein as the latest addition to the cellar arrives.

Adi and Jasper might not know what they will put in the new foudre, but they sure are excited. Sexy hey!?

With thanks to Michael Olivier. See post here.