Photos from the farm

Jasper Wickens, assistant wine maker and (un)official Paardeberg party planner sent me a few pictures from the farm. 

Above & below: Filling up the new Sherry Cellar!

Above & below: Pruning time in the vineyards

Below: Gotcha! the Muskeljaatkat that has been caught after weeks of 'population control' among our chickens!

Peaking in on the Swartland

American wine enthusiast and author of Wine-Zag, Adam Japko recently visited the Swartland in an attempt to get to know the region and the wines up close and personal. 
He has been infatuated with our piece of valley "ever since tasting a bottle of Sadie Family Vineyards’ Palladius more than a year ago. " 


He believes "Most importantly, an overwhelming majority of Swartland wines I tasted deserve regular appearances in all serious wine enthusiasts’ drinking regimens."


He stayed in the cottage on Kalmoesfontein and starts his feedback of the Swartland with some flattery for Adi:


"While Adi is just one piece of the Swartland winemaker fabric, joined by the likes of David Sadie, Eben Sadie, Chris Mullineux, and Craig Hawkins, he epitomizes the thumb to the nose, do it “my way”, pioneering, radical but humble, and unconventional attitude fueling one of the most significant modern day regional winemaking upheavals."


Read the whole post and see the videos (in which Adi proclaims: "Honestly I would rather eat my toenails and watch a Jerry Springer omnibus than drink a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.")

New and Exclusive

We here on Kalmoesfontein have decided to take a step in the direction of being even more exclusive. Starting next week – Adi will make some of his small quantity, experimental wines available for sale to our database of subscribers only.

The first offer is the Badenhorst Family Wine NV, also known as The Funky White.

It is primarily a blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier (accounting for around 80% of the wine) with the rest being made up of a blend of eight other varieties! They wine is kept under a Solera system which has been running since 2007.

Only 650 bottles of this wine will be bottled every year and this year’s batch will be sold exclusively to our mailing list. The wine is not for sale in retail outlets and only a few selected restaurants have it on their wine list.

The offer is limited to 6 bottles per person on a first come first served basis. It is only open to people living in South Africa and will be delivered upon proof of payment. To stand in line, email us on aabadenhorstwine@gmail.com 

Praise for the ‘Wine’ includes this:

What is important 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.

-       -   Harry Haddon

The ‘Wine’ from Badenhorst has a lovely aroma of tropical fruit, particularly showing off gorgeous notes of passion-fruit and kiwi, these are backed up by almonds and sweet spice. The palate is intense with an elegant body and lovely firm acidity, the complex assortment of flavours includes hay, spice, nuts and peach. The finish is long, silky and very creamy.

-       -   Alex Redfern

The AA Badenhorst NV ‘Funky White’ is an artisanal wine with a flor-like quality

-        -  Cathryn Henderson

So make sure you get on our mailing list (email aabadenhorstwine@gmail.com) to make use of this and other amazing exclusive offers. Offer will go out early next week! 

Reporting in the Rapport

Feedback from The Fantastic Eben, Adi and Luke show at The Test Kitchen in the lifestyle magazine that accompanies Rapport (Afrikaans Sunday newspaper).

Wedding album Cover story

The cover story for this month's Wedding Album magazine was shot on Kalmosfontein a few months ago.
Our neighbours and fellow revolutionaries Callie and Maree Louw's daughter Mina was the beautiful little model.


Behind the scenes:

In the mag: 

Swartland Supremes

Some more feedback on The Adi, Eben and Luke show currently on the menu at The Test Kitchen.


This time on Neil Pendock's blog on Times Live:


"Fabian and Guido had dined the previous evening at the Test Kitchen in Salt River as guests of WOSA with charming host André Morgenthal (who must keep many of Cape Town’s top end restaurants afloat in these depressed days). The 12 course menu dégustation was accompanied by wines from the Swartland Supremes (Eben Sadie as Mary Wilson and Adi Badenhorst as Diana Ross, but with bigger hair). Both Belgians called the meal “the best I have ever eaten in SA.” Guido’s own Hertog Jan restaurant in Brugge is a Michelin two star spot so he knows from food and he rates TK chef Luke Dale-Roberts a two star stunner although the service is on a lower level. In particular Luke’s imagination and matching an oyster to Adi’s Funky White was for Guido, a culinary triumph."