Tag Archives: farm

Winter visits with (more) perks (than usual)…

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Our accommodation is pretty (and) popular, usually booked up far in advance, but we still have a few spots open for midweek winter getaways. So we’re sweetening the deal with a few special winter warmer options:

June = wine time

This June, book our two bedroom Stables or Winemaker’s Cottage midweek and get a mixed case of Secateurs Wines to enjoy in front of the fireplace. 

OR

Book our one bedroom Silo or Melkkamer for a midweek stay and we’ll throw in a bottle of our much loved Caperitif and four Swaan Cape Tonics. 

July = breakfast bonus

Book any of our accommodations for a midweek stay in July and we’ll throw in a farm breakfast, served at The Old House, every morning of your stay. 

August = soup & red wine

Come stay midweek this August and enjoy a hearty homemade soup and farm fresh bread (at a mealtime of your preference), paired with a bottle of our Family Red Blend (with the two bedroom Stables or Winemaker’s Cottage) or Secateurs Red Blend (with the one bedroom Silo or Melkkamer), on us.

*T&Cs

Midweek means check-in Mondays (14h) and check-out on Fridays (10h). Minimum two nights stay.

Deal valid on any new bookings made (for 01 June – 31 August 2022) from the date of this post.

Please book via Nightsbridge (find the link on our farm’s website kalmoesfontein.com)

Hope to see you on the farm soon!

Wedding season!

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We’re amidst a wedding season like never before… for 18 months we postponed and delayed all weddings but now we’re cramming the rest of the year full of celebrations of love!

One of the first weddings we got to host in between COVID waves was that of Darryn & Elize in the early winter. Their lovely #holypandemony recently got featured on The Pink Book in an article full of lovely praise for our venue and staff.

We love (love!) hosting events like weddings and we still have a few (very few) weekends open in 2022, so if you ever wanted to say I DO on a wine farm, why not consider ours…

To see more about our farm as a venue, click on the venue tab above, or here–>

Here are a few pics from that featured wedding:

to book or find out more about available dates, contact Semma@aabadenhorst.com

New Old Epic Hiking Route

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This weekend we very officially opened a new hiking route that starts on the farm. The trail, an old Cape Epic route, was cut open and marked (look out for little reflective tape arrows on droppers) and our first “outsiders” walked it on a perfect spring Saturday.

Starting from The Old House with a climb up to Die Bos (where we had a quick Caperitif & Swaan stop on Saturday, but this is not included in the regular walk) and crosses over four farms (Babylons Peak, Uitkyk, Lemoenfontein and obviously Kalmoesfontein. In total it is about 5.1km and takes 2hours at a very leisurely pace.

On Uitkyk you walk through the Dassiekop vineyard, regarded by Adi as “the finest Chenin Blanc block in SA” and made into our single vineyard wine by the same name. There are epic vistas of almost the whole Swartland, from Riebeek Mountain in the west past Porseleinberg to Paarl Mountain in the east.

In spring you’ll be flanked by flowering fynbos.

Book to visit: 2022

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Our accommodation bookings for 2022 are now open. Book early to reserve those special dates and come spend you birthday / anniversary / reunion or annual holiday on the farm with us.

We have 2 x two bedroom cottages (The Winemakers’ Cottage and The Stables) and 2 x one bedroom dwellings (Die Melkkamer – a new addition- and The Silo) each with luxury bedding, stunning scenery, private pools and access to everything the farm has to offer.

Main Bedroom, the Winemakers’ Cottage

Find out more (click here or via Accommodation on the menu bar) to book to avoid disappointment.

Die Melkkamer
The Silo’s outside green lounge

What a retreat!

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As you might know, Kalmoesfontein, the home of AA Badenhorst Family (Wines), is also a popular wedding and event venue with beautiful accommodation. We just received this video of a small wedding we hosted in December, with wine tasting and all.

This is a stunning representation of a good time on the slopes of the Partyberg.

If you don’t follow our new @kalmoesfontein account on Instagram yet, do it now! It is our lifestyle account focussing on the food, accommodation, parties and scenes from the farm while our original @aabadenhorst account will focus more on the wine side going forward.

Videographer:  Curate  @cu.rate

And in early March we will be hosting a ladies’ retreat, in conjunction with our friend and experience planner extraordinaire, Clarisse Coetzee.

Instead of holding your breath waiting for international travel to open, rather breathe out and relax at The Retreat. 

The Retreat is a rejuvenating two night, mid-week* escape to the scenic slopes of the Paardeberg. Here your body can stretch with Megan Moore**, refuel with delicious vegetarian meals and get massaged by SkinClays; while your mind can engage in meaningful conversations with life coach Gretha Cronje and your soul can revive in the splendor of doing nothing amongst the fresh air and farm sounds of our working wine farm.

Send an email to semma@aabadenhorst.com if you’d like to be one of only 12 ladies to join.

*we start Wednesday at 6pm so you can come after work.

**yoga classes will be fit for beginners.

From the farm with love

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Another week has come and gone, our local Covid19 strategy has evolved from a complete lockdown to a stage 4 (but figuring out exactly what that means feels like tricky algebra and we just know we cannot sell or export wine yet).

On the farm we are keeping busy though. Last week there was much excitement (and the most likes ever on a photo on our Instagram page) when we set up some cameras in the kloof and captured a Cape Leopard visit.

The whole family’s teenagers are currently locked down on the farm – after (huge) breakfasts they work on the farm (whatever is on the daily agenda) until (a massive) lunch and then it is homeschool time. When homework is done they usually venture into the kloof to work on and play in their ‘den’. In the past they had also spent a few nights camping there.

But last week brother-in-law Mark had a hunch to set up a camera at a porcupine hole and what do you know, we caught a glimpse of a leopard having a go at two porcupines!

Very exciting (if you are not sleeping 30 meters away!).

This week we’ve checked into a few vineyards which might interest you.

The last grapes harvested for 2020 comes from the oldest Bukettraube vineyard in SA (and the world??). Planted in 1978 – a time when Swartland Bukettraube could be found in every bottle store in the country.

I remember my Oupa talking about “boeke vol trouble” (books full of trouble) and although we are not looking for trouble, Adi does mention that he is trying to “make the Swartland great again…”. …

…

And then, on the other end of the scale, this is a young Grenache Noir vineyard planted in 2018 and doing very lekker.

Oh we hope we can show you around the farm in real life, soon soon.

Stay safe.

Our Venue: Die Bos

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You will often hear us talk about Die Bos, a party in die bos, a walk up to die bos or swimming in die bos… If you’ve ever wondered what on earth, allow me to explain.

At the ‘top edge’ of the Kalmoesfontein property was a very big Eucalyptus plantation (very common on farms around here as the trees were planted for the long straight poles they produce as well as firewood.) Over the years we’ve slowly cut back this plantation (because they use SO MUCH water and because frankly we’d rather plant wheat, grapes or local trees) but have left a hectare or so on the very top of the hill. In the middle of this bos (Afrikaans for forest) we’ve cleared a section to plant a maypole and have a few parties.

Over the years the space has been used for weddings (both ceremonies and celebrations), outdoor cooking seminars, parties and several Oesaf Harvest celebrations. We’ve decorated it with ribbons of all colours, leaves and vines, hessian and fabric. We love getting creative and making it a unique space for every occasion.

Most recently we added a pool to it’s offering…

If you are ever looking for a special spot for a celebration or event of any kind – come check it out. It is accessible via a steep but spectacular walk up the hill (usually with a drink spot along the way) or we can arrange a fun array of ‘shuttles’ to get those who can’t make the walk up there.

For more info or to arrange a viewing, contact semma@aabadenhorst.com.

Harvest 2020

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2020 is a leap year, although we didn’t even really need the extra day in February- the grapes are 99% picked and pressed.

Down to just over 250 tons from about 280ish tons in 2019, this year’s harvest came in fast. Vineyards put their hands up to say ‘pick me now’ from early in January; there were a few crazy days in early February when temperatures peaked in the low 40s (that’s degrees Celsius) and it seemed the cold room would never be empty again.

But the vinyl kept playing; the crew kept gooiing kussies; the pomp kept klapping and the team are all smiles.

This year we once again had Keiji (aka Cage) all the way from Japan and Raynard (all the way from Malmesbury…) with new (very) local addition Tol (his father being our much featured long time employee Fortuin); first half impact player Tom (a Badenhorst) and Tom (not a Badenhorst, who has already departed to do it all again in Argentina). With Hanneke keeping on top of all the details and Adi guarding over the bigger picture, the cogs kept on turning – some days from 4am till long after the sun set, only grinding to a halt for the occasional visit from The Loadshedding Demon.

Back from left to right; Tom (not Badenhorst), Tol, Hanneke, Adi. In front; Cage and Ray

Obviously there were a few sunrise braais, many cups of good coffee and, according to the team ‘never the same lunch twice’.

In between Charl and Semma (and Judy and Mina and the team) hosted numerous lunches (and breakfasts and pizza oven experiences) and we put on another edition of Bradstock.

Bradstock, as it is known amongst fans, originated last year as a combined 40th/50th for Belinda and Andy – the jol was such a hit that they decided to do it again this year, making it a mini festival for their group of friends. Hosted over 24 hours and with two meals, three dance floors, eight musical acts, numerous outfit changes and thirty Glamping tents on the terraces – this was a party to remember (and repeat!).

Just a friendly reminder that Kalmoesfontein is not only the home of some of your favourite wines, we also provides a unique venue and location to bring your celebrations to life.

As always, be sure to follow us on Instagram and/or Facebook to see what we get up to.

Winter wedding venue

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As November starts to go downhill into December into Jingle Bells and fake snow covered Christmas trees in shop windows – we want to throw it back to a cool August 30th.

Karel and Grethe got married on the farm and we have some pictures of the venue and decor to proof it.

The cellar may be basic, as Adi himself will point out, but it makes for a pretty lovely backdrop to say “I do”.

And then there is the Paardeberg in all its magic hour glory…

For more info on our farm / cellar / old house / vineyards as a venue or (photo shoot) location, check out this page or contact Semma@aabadenhorst.com – she’ll sort you out!

Pics with credit to Liesl le Roux Photography.

Single Vineyards 2018 Release

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Our Single Vineyard wines are made and bottled with the express intent to respect the truth of the site. Most of these vineyards are on our farm or other slopes and valleys of the Paardeberg. We’ve been working with some for almost 9 years now and each year these vineyards show a consistansy and uniqueness that we seek out.

As Adi says “these are wines without eye-shadow…”

The one everyone is talking about (well, Tim Atkin named it his red wine discovery of the year in his 2019 South African Report… and described it as ‘delicate, ethereal and graceful’, saying, ‘it’s one of the best Cinsaults I’ve ever tasted.’) is the new kid on the block the Ringmuur Cinsault.

It’s rarer than we like our fillet, sold out from our side and most retailers, make sure to grab it if you see it anywhere.

Others returning to the line up include

– the famous Raaigras “oldest Grenache vineyard in the land” from 12 rows / 1268 vines which yields about 3 tons in a good year.

-Chenin Blancs from Dassiekop, according to Adi the “finest Chenin Blanc vineyard in South Africa”; The Golden Slopes, named after the deep yellow coloured granite in the site; Piet Bok se Steen so called after an old vigneron who lived in a tiny cottage besides the block and Klipkop – a tiny parcel planted on top of a granite outcrop in 1966.

– and just to make things a bit harder for our international agents, wines named Sk’Windjiesvlei (a Tinta Barocca planted in 1962) and Sout van die Aarde (Palomino from the West Coast just north of Dwarskersbos…)

Christian Eedes reported on (and scored) all the wines from the 2018 vintage single vineyards recently. You can read his thoughts and tasting notes here (click click).

You can buy some here.

You can read about the 2019 harvest, here.