Description
Neal Martin describes Adi Badenhorst as someone who “epitomises the carefree spirit that pervades the [Swartland] region”, a phrase that still doesn’t do justice to a man whose personality is as characterful as the wines he makes. Founding A.A. Badenhorst Family Wines in the Paardeberg with his cousin Hein in 2008, Adi champions attentive farming and minimal intervention winemaking to convey an authentic expression of the Swartland in his wines.
Adi grew up on a wine farm in Constantia and made his first wine at thirteen. After studying oenology at Elsenberg, he worked harvests at Château Angelus and Alain Graillot, before returning to South Africa. Following nine years as winemaker at the Rustenburg Estate in Stellenbosch, Adi was captivated by a run-down farm on the northern side of the Swartland’s Paardeberg Mountain. “The mountain has texture and slopes. You know those grapes can make interesting wines”, he explains. Today, that old farm forms Kalmoesfontein, where A.A. Badenhorst are based.
Set within a natural amphitheatre, the Kalmoesfontein farm is home to exceptional parcels of old, bush vine Chenin Blanc, Cinsault and Grenache, planted on north, east, and south-facing slopes between the 1950s and 1970s. The vines’ age and various exposures bring further variety and depth to the fruit. The Paardeberg’s soils, which comprise decomposed granite, quartz and iron-rich ‘koffieklip’ (ferricrete), are also central to the character of A.A. Badenhorst’s wines. Over 500 million years old, the soil’s top layer has a sandy texture, allowing the vines to root deep into the ground, resulting in remarkably fragrant wines.
Their Caperitif is made in small batches. Fortified Chenin Blanc is infused with over 40 botanicals, including native fynbos and garden herbs, to produce an aromatic and moreish revival of South Africa’s once famous vermouth.
Complex and aromatic, with layered notes of cinnamon, cloves, orange blossom, and floral herbs such as blackcurrant leaf, mint, thyme, and lavender. A distinctive and expressive vermouth with a South African identity, ideal for sipping or mixing.