Pictures from "the stomping of the grapes"

On Saturday friends and family gathered at the cellar for the annual "Stomping of the grapes."


As usual our talented neighbour, photographer Maree Louw captured some lovely moments on camera.

Farm Fashion

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~

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!

Visitor's report

James Nicholson, Wine Merchant recently visited Adi on Kalmoesfontein and shared a short blog entry about the experience


He notes: "No fancy gismos here quite an inspiration! It just shows what you can achieve with skill, a sharp mind and an understanding and a pathos for the earth you inherit."


Well said sir, read the full post here.

We are social...

We are a social family and as wine producers, naturally we have a social product... so why not join social media..!?

You can now LIKE us on Facebook, have a look at our Fan Page here, and interact easily with your favourite wine brand (that's us...) 

Pairing with our whites...

Rose Prince prepares a delicious 'Braised salt beef with horseradish dumplings and salt pork in clear broth' for The Telegraph Magazine and Head Sommelier and Wine Buyer for Tate, Hamish Anderson pairs it with our 2008 AA Badenhorst Family White.


He notes:  
"There is an argument that in times of diet and detox we should drink less, but better. The trouble comes when you open the bottle and find it hard to have only one glass. This blend of varieties has weight, spice and dried herbs (ideal for the dumplings), but above all it is a wine of texture and interest that demands your attention."


Get the recipe for this meal on the Telegraph website.

Enjoy! 

Shuttle service from Cpt International

Visitors rejoice! 
There is now a dedicated shuttle service between Cape Town International and Malmesbury / The Riebeek Valley. 


Visiting our wonderful winelands just got easier.
The drive is about 97km and will take up to 1hr 20 mins.


Costs:
1 person = R600
2 people = R700
3 people = R800


For this shuttle service, contact Stephen van Schalkwyk. 

Just give him notice about two days in advance.

cell: 079.34.10.692

tel:   022.44.81.478

Buy Wine On Line...

Buy our wines from anywhere in the world, online... Just add to the little virtual shopping cart and click click... Boof, great wines on their way to you...

Our profile on e-wine also features some info on the winery and a charming profile on Adi. I especially liked this:

"Andre Adriaan, or Adi (which is what he answers to) reminds one somewhat of The Dude in that cult classic film The Big Lebowski. But like The Dude, behind this ‘super cool’ facade there’s a razor sharp mind, an irreverent wit and a heart of pure gold."

I'm a rock star, I'm a, I'm a (wine) rock star...

Cool video of Adi, the Hands-On-Wine Rockstar... Enjoy!

Believe it, cause it's true...

Waiting for you in our cellar... 

Thank You Bar Bar Black Sheep

We had an amazing time in Short Street last night at the first (annual?) Bar Bar Black Sheep "thank-you dinner".


The idea, as Mynhardt put it, is to give something back to everyone that had supported them during 2010.

The team had outdone themselves and it seemed the whole Swartland was there. Makeshift tables and chairs filled Short Street and chinese lanterns provided soft light while the pig turned on the spit.

Everyone brought their own wine, cutlery, crockery, salads, breads etc... And Bar Bar had a pig on the spit, a lamb in the pot, an amazing Mediterranean veggie bake and some Portuguese tripe stew going...

One of the best meals we have ever eaten in a paper plate...

Since we were late to arrive and there were no more tables or seats available, Adi and Herman quickly constructed us a table from crates and a pallet, with hay barrels for seats.

Thanks to Bar Bar Black Sheep for saying 'thanks' in style...

Similar article here

Hello Harvest!

The harvest is in full swing on Kalmoesfontein. Everyone has jumped in to help get the grapes in to the cellar in the scorching Swartland sun.

Jasper Wickens, is once again our assistant winemaker and even young Samuel Badenhorst is getting in on the action (winemaker in training!)

Our neighbour  Barry Schreiber was there to count every berry of Chenin Blanc and we have a female French import, harvest hand Helena Kotzev. Here they are loading the press.

Don't judge a wine by it's label..?

Neil Pendock reports on his blog on Times Live that Simon Hoggart had a bit of a go at our Secateurs label in The Spectator this week. 

Here is what Simon has to say... 

"Take this scrumptious Secateurs 2010, a Chenin Blanc from A.A. ­Badenhorst of Swartland, who is one of the most exciting young winemakers in South Africa. Chenin Blanc is the grape in Vouvray, but you would be hard put to find a French wine as rich, succulent and velvety, and at the crazy price of £8.95. I served this to a wine-loving American friend, and half the bottle had disappeared down her throat before she managed to exclaim, ‘that was delicious!’ My only complaint is the ghastly label. Labels matter. Rolling countryside or ancient Dutch farmhouse a.s.a.p., please."

But, I have to agree with Neil when he comes to the conclusion that you cannot please everyone, all the time. And I guess you cant blame Simon for not having taste in art, he does seem to have excellent taste in wine;)

You be the judge, we'd love to know what you think of our labels. An article on them (and their designer Peet Pienaar) here.

All I can say is that I do not foresee any Dutch Farmhouses on our labels, any.time.soon...