SWARTLAND
STORIES
Babylon’s Peak uses lockdown to tend the land and forge the way forward
While the rest of South Africa spent the larger part of the countrywide COVID-19 lockdown bunkered down and waiting for the penny to drop, the Babylon’s Peak team were hard at work tending the land and forging the way forward for this much-loved Swartland brand. “Since we had permits to keep our staff on during […]
Allesverloren – for the love of wine
By Danie Malan At Allesverloren we do everything for the love of wine. The work on a farm never ends, not even in times of a world-wide pandemic, at present we are preparing for the pruning season. Our vineyards are ideally situated and the various micro-climates on the farm create the perfect conditions for producing […]
Plan your return to the Riebeek Valley with this handy guide
Coming this way, everyone in the car was silent as if overcome at the change of scenery from that which it had been in our respective cases, for seemingly endless weeks. Then, Johan said to no-one in particular, “I’ve taken so many pictures of that wind pump”. The lollypop structure in an open field whizzed […]
Kalmoesfontein – home of AA Badenhorst
Kalmoesfontein might be best known as the home of AA Badenhorst Family Wines’ diverse range of liquor, but we just launched a new website focussing on the farm as a venue, location and accommodation getaway so today we’re talking werf. When Adi and his cousin Hein bought the property in 2008 the cellar was a […]
Schenkfontein – The glass is always half full
Reflections in the times of COVID by Alicia Hanekom I’m on my way back from our local town where I had to buy much needed supplies for home. It takes a while before the electronic gate opens and in that moment I breathe. Something inside me just lets go. Maybe it’s all the stress of […]
A walk on the wild side
There’s been plenty of talk about the “return of nature” during lockdown. The camera-trap photograph of the leopard at Paardeberg’s Kalmoesfontein (Badenhorst Family Wines) might have come across your newsfeed recently. The Swartland is of course no stranger to nature-lovers. The region with its open skies, uncluttered hills and mountains have always been the ideal […]
Local heroes step up to the challenge
Special force teams the world over are taught when there’s a crisis, movement is life. Making a few mistakes along the way isn’t fatal but doing nothing is. When the virus hit, the Swartland jumped into action, with most of our farmers quietly leading the way again. Existing charity programmes have been expanded and supplemented […]
Our wines, your food – the perfect pairing in lockdown
They reckon that wearing a facemask in your home is a great way to stop you from going through your own food supplies. This article won’t help, though. While you might not be able to visit the Swartland right now, we’ve assembled a quartet of recipes by local specialists that’ll tide you over until you […]
Babylon’s Peak: Where impressive yield meets unwavering passion and dedication
Fourth-generation farmer and vintner Stephan Basson from Babylon’s Peak in the Swartland is a rare breed – an inspired dreamer with huge ideals that somehow still manages to keep his nose to the grindstone and both his feet firmly on the ground. It’s not very often that you find these qualities wrapped up in one […]