Four course wine pairing dinner with South African wine maker Abi Badenhorst, May 4th at the Nest Above

Secure your seat on Resy.com

AA Badenhorst Family Wines are grown, made and matured on Kalmoesfontein farm in the Swartland appellation of South Africa. 180ha of old bushvines grow in the Siebritskloof part of the Paardeberg mountain.

Cusins, cousins Hein and Adi Badenhorst proudly farm together, practice biological farming and make natural wines in the traditional manner.  On Kalmoesfontein it is back to basics, using traditional winemaking equipment and old cement kuipe. “We make wines with immense character. We’re using what we can afford. We are making the best wines we can. And we are having great experiences. I want to make something, involving interaction from my family.”

BADENHORST Wine dinner

First Course

Roasted Baby Beet Salad

frisée, goat cheese mousse in cucumber cups, roasted asian pears, watermelon-champagne vinaigrette

Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2021

Second Course

Diver Caught Scallops

orange-rhubarb jam, osetra caviar and roasted baby yellow peppers in lemon olive oil, celery leaf

Dassiekop Steen 2019

Main Course

Matambre Recheado

roulade of stuffed wagyu flank, cured egg yolk, cilantro pistou

Family Wines Shiraz Blend 2019

Dessert Course

Fuji Apple Strudel

frangipane, puff pastry, peanut butter caramel, lingonberry butter

Broadbent 5 Year Reserva Madeira

Family Red Wines

The Shiraz and supporting varieties, usually Cinsault, Grenache, and Tinta Barocca, are all hand harvested on the same day. The whole bunches are foot stomped to start fermentation; the destemmed grapes are started in both concrete and large wooden vats. Maturation takes about 16 months in large and then larger casks and vats. Black cherries, liquorice, pepper.

Family White Wines

This wine is always Chenin Blanc based, but the final blend year to year depends upon Mother Nature. Most of the supporting grape varieties are pressed together in whole bunches. Large foudre is used for fermentation and maturation, with the final blend settling in concrete tank for an additional 6 to 8 months. Perfume, tea, stone fruit.

Secateurs Chenin:

Secateurs – a type of scissors for use on plants. These dry farmed bushvines were planted in the 1960s and 1970s. Fermented and settled in concrete, older casks, and big foudres. Textured, flinty, orange blossom.

Secateurs Rose:

Sometimes Cinsault, sometimes Mourvèdre, sometimes a blend. But, always complex and unique beyond its price point. Currants, spice, rose water.

Secateurs red:

Dry farmed bush vines of Cinsault, Grenache, and Shiraz (some combination thereof) that are foot stomped to begin fermentation. You guessed it: concrete and old casks for both fermentation and settling. Ripe red fruit, perfumed, peppery.

Klip Kop Chenin:

tiny vineyard planted in 1966 on a rough and exposed granite outcrop. The juice is run off into 500L casks and stays on gross lees until ready to be bottled, without fining or filtration. Flinty, mineral, textured.

Dassiekop Chenin:

This Chenin Blanc was planted on the steep terraces of the Paardeberg mountain in the early 1970’s. With grapes of this quality, winemaking is simple year after year: fermented in 1200L foudres and matured for 15 months in the same vessels. Rack. Bottle. Wait. Produced only in exceptional years. Opulent, cream, apple tart.

Ramnasgras Cinsault:

Cinsault planted in the 1950s on a southeast facing parcel on decomposed granite. Hermitake, or Cinsault, has been the workhorse of the South African industry and hopefully finally getting its due. Red fruits, earthy, spice.

Menu des Gourmands