At Boschendal, we’re not just a farm; we’re a community with a purpose. Our commitment to regenerating land, people, and community shines through in our dedication to education. Here’s a glimpse into how we’re making a positive impact:

The history of Boschendal stretches all the way back to 1685; when the young Cape Colony was an important refreshment outpost for ships of the Dutch East India Company as they travelled the Spice Route in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Maritime trade brought all manner of interesting cultural traditions to our shores, not least of all Malaysian, Indonesian and East African recipes and spices that greatly enriched the local culinary landscape. These are the foundation of Cape Malay cooking; the flavours of which serve as inspiration for one of our favourite recipes from The Werf Restaurant: Masala Fish Dish.

Masala is a term from the Indian subcontinent for a varying blend of spices, often based on unique family recipes and handed down through generations of cooks. These spice mixes are used extensively in South Asian cuisine to add warmth and flavour, and here, the blend serves to brighten the poaching liquid in which the fish is cooked. With a base of onions, garlic and ginger, mellowed out with homemade tomato purée, Junior Sous Chef Leroy Sebybo adds his special masala blend to round out the rich flavours of this mouthwatering sauce.

As always at Boschendal, many of the ingredients are harvested fresh each morning from the Werf Food Garden. Two hectares of carefully tended vegetables, herbs and fruit are overlooked by the restaurant’s sunny terrace and provide an abundance of fresh, organic produce to the estate’s restaurants, picnic spots, farm shop and deli. The seasonal nature of these ingredients is the driving force behind Boschendal’s farm-to-table dining concept which inspires the chefs to be “guided by the garden”, creating menus that evolve with the harvest.

The fish used is farmed kabeljou, also known as kob, from a local, sustainable, SASSI-green-listed supplier. The flesh is succulent and firm, forming large flakes, which makes it the ideal fish for flash frying and then cooking through in the sauce, as the fillets continue to hold their shape. Served with a yoghurt emulsion, spring onion salsa and a handful of fresh mussels topped with crispy ginger, it’s no wonder this delicious dish is one of Chef Leroy’s favourites.

The fragrant warmth of the dish is perfectly paired with a chilled glass of Boschendal Demi Sec; a bubbly Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend with just a hint of sweetness. Boschendal Wine Estate was, in fact, the second to produce what is now known as Méthode Cap Classique, using the traditional Champagne method of a second fermentation in the bottle. This award-winning MCC has a flourish of delicate bubbles and a well-rounded, creamy mouthfeel with appetizing minerality, good balance and a seamless finish.

It’s no wonder this delicious dish is one of Chef Leroy Sebybo’s favourites.

Nothing says “South African Heritage” quite like the smell of fresh, locally caught fish on the coals.

Chef Allistaire uses ethically-sourced Yellow Tail from one of our local like-minded suppliers accompanied by freshly steamed mussels on the fire to create the perfect braai day seafood salad. The mussels are warmed up in a creamy lemon sauce, then topped with fresh garden herbs and vegetable elements to counter the creaminess of the sauce, providing a delightfully balanced dish full of South African flavour.

This light and tasty salad pairs wonderfully with our 1685 Chardonnay from Boschendal Wines . This bold statement wine, which is big on aromas and flavours, has a lemon, cinnamon and nutmeg nose. Expect zesty citrus and ripe tropical fruit flavours. Well-balanced with a soft, buttery character from barrel fermentation and maturation, which adds to the complexity and roundness of the wine.

We love seeing how you cook & enjoy products from Boschendal! Please use the #TASTEBOSCHENDAL hashtag when posting on social media, so we can see what you are getting up to at home!

All our recipes will champion fresh, seasonal produce and local, ethically-sourced ingredients, mirroring the farm-to-table approach taken at all the eateries at Boschendal.

They will be delicious and easy to make, bringing a taste of the farm into your very own kitchen.

Impress your guests with Chef Allistaire’s charred oysters on the fire.

This light starter with a hint of zesty lemon and fresh garden herbs, is the perfect way to kick off your Heritage Day braai. Chef Allistaire’s recipe calls for fresh, ethically-sourced Saldanha Bay oysters, lightly poached in a dash of Cap Classique on the open fire.

This dish is best served with a homemade sauce of Cap Classqique, garlic, onion, peppercorn and thyme. Chef Allistaire suggests squeezing a dash of fresh lemon juice over your prepared oysters before serving to enhance the natural flavours of the oysters without overwhelming them.

You simply can’t go wrong with a chilled glass of our Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut alongside this dish. With hints of citrus and creamy almond notes, this MCC is a well-balanced addition to the dinner party.

We love seeing how you cook & enjoy products from Boschendal! Please use the #TASTEBOSCHENDAL hashtag when posting on social media, so we can see what you are getting up to at home!

All our recipes will champion fresh, seasonal produce and local, ethically-sourced ingredients, mirroring the farm-to-table approach taken at all the eateries at Boschendal. They will be delicious and easy to make, bringing a taste of the farm into your very own kitchen.

Boschendal proudly marked Heritage Day 2017 with the unveiling of our new Heritage Collection, two limited edition reds which could be described as the pinnacle of our premium wines. Both wines in the collection were tasted on Sunday, 24 September at the iconic Boschendal Long Table Feast on the sprawling, historic estate established over 330 years ago in the Drakenstein Valley near Franschhoek.

Boschendal has been a pioneer in South African wine-making for three centuries. We are proud of our roots as one of the country’s original estates and we are honoured to have remained relevant in local and international wine circles to this day. To celebrate all that is Boschendal and all that is premium South African wine-making, we have released some of our most exceptional wines in our journey to date.

The collection by Boschendal’s resident red winemaker Richard Duckitt, comprises a limited edition Boschendal Grande Syrah 2014 and Black Angus 2014.

The collection is the culmination of years of hard work and testimony to the farms ongoing commitment to Shiraz.

Heritage Collection: The Grande Syrah 2014

The Grande Syrah is all about style. Often called the work horse red variety in the Boschendal range, the Grande Syrah elevates the varietal to another level. With premium grapes handpicked from a unique vineyard situated on the south-facing slopes of the Helderberg Mountains, the wine was made with specially-selected Rhône-style yeast, and aged for 15 months. Each bottle of The Grande Syrah 2014 is individually numbered, with only 10 barrels of the wine produced in total.

Its brilliant dark crimson colour with enticing spice and exotic fruit notes ignite the senses from the outset. Delicious oak spice and a typical cool-climate Syrah pepper persist onto the palate, which is young and lively, combining juicy Shiraz purity of fruit with restrained Old World elegance. A seamless integration of oak spice and oak tannin adds depth and complexity to the wine, rounding off a truly impressive drinking experience.

Heritage Collection: Black Angus 2014

While the superlative Syrah emanates sophistication, the Black Angus 2014 epitomises the estate’s history. As well as its wines, Boschendal is also famed for its ethically reared Angus cattle. The Black Angus is named in homage to the cattle, and has a 66% Shiraz base, rounded off by Petit Verdot (12%), Cabernet Sauvignon (11%) and Cabernet Franc (11%). This is the original ‘estate blend’ of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon that Boschendal launched in the 1980s under the Grand Reserve label.

Duckitt added more complexity and intricacy to the blend with the addition of Petit Verdot for richness and the Cabernet Franc for style and sophistication (neither of which were available on the estate in the 1980s). This has add a rounded complexity to the wine. All four varieties were separately vinified, malolactic fermented and barrel matured for 18 months, before being blended and bottled in the new Boschendal Heritage Bottle in July 2016.

The wine, with each bottle also individually numbered, mesmerizes with a beautiful ruby colour, and first impression of berry and plum aromas layered with winter spice and roast cacao bean complexity. The entry is smooth and rich leading to sumptuous ripe mulberry, black cherry and cassis flavours etched with black pepper and oak spice on the palate. The finish is long and moreish, with tremendous texture and lingering fruit concentration. It is a taste immersion worth savouring, and returning to.

All wines can be purchased out our Werf Tasting Room and Cellar Door.

Please click here for more info on our wine tasting & tours.