Farming with purpose at Boschendal

Established in 1685, Boschendal is one of the oldest wine farms in South Africa with Cape Dutch manor houses spectacularly preserved among the leafy oak trees. We’re perfectly positioned in the epicentre of the Cape Winelands offering luxury, self-catering accommodation; charming one-bed cottages and garden suites sleeping two, two-bedroom cottages with a shared swimming pool, all the way to a luxurious six-bedroom house atop the mountain with a private pool, braai and butler service. Eating in, or out is easy when we have a farm shop with a  fifth-generation butcher who offers lifechanging biltong, sausages and steak. Not to mention the bakery for daily pastries, cakes and fresh bread and a deli restaruant offering all-day casual dining. There’s next to no food miles. Just put in an order before you arrive, and we’ll make sure the fridge is stocked!

The Werf restaurant does the rest offering farm-to-fork fare including signature dishes such as black angus steak from our cattle raised on our pastures accompanied by veggies grown in our gardens, over which you’ll enjoy views of as you dine (a tour is a must)! From October to May we offer picnic hampers bursting with treats from charcuterie and potato salads to homemade pasteis de nata. From September to April, every Friday we have a market where some 2,000 people come for delicious food stalls and to enjoy some great wine. There is of course wine tasting all year around in the Werf and Cellar Door where you can sample everything from our award-winning MCC sparkling wines to the 1685 collection that comes in every shade – Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz.

If you’ve come with your family, there’s plenty to entertain. 4-12 year old children can be let loose in our Tree House Playground or get close to the land with supervised activities such as foraging, mud craft and gardening with the chickens. Next to it is our mountain biking pump track for bigger kids and adults too!

None of this would be possible without our passion for the land which you can explore hiking, biking or horseback riding. Of our 1,800 hectares, around 800 are dedicated to conservation where we’ve restored river flows and allowed the flora and fauna to flourish undisturbed. We’re pioneering regenerative farming that doesn’t just sustain the soil but strategically replenishes it by nourishing the soil with live roots, planting indigenous and diverse crops, and encouraging our livestock – cows, sheep and chickens – to freely graze and essentially sequester carbon into the earth. And what is the land without our community? Those who work for us can send their children to our pre-school located on the farm and we regularly run supplies to the neighbouring educational centres. Our hope is to leave the earth better than we found it and ignite the same passion in future generations.