The rainy Winelands winter is here – with gusto! – while the very first blossoms are coming to life on the bare branches of the earliest stone fruit varieties. But don’t be fooled – there is still cold ahead! And the good news is that Babylonstoren has all the winter warmers to keep you cosy during the dreariest of days.
Babylonstoren, in full colour
You may know Babylonstoren as a farm hotel or garden, or maybe you’ve heard of the farm-to-table fare that makes it a foodie destination of note. But Babylonstoren is more than just a place to visit, grow and eat; the farm is a place of people and their stories. Their brand-new book Babylonstoren is fresh from the printing press. It shares the story of our farm and its people in vivid colour: the butcher, baker and candlemaker, their seasoned gardeners, winemakers, farmers, entomologist, cheesemaker and cellarmaster.
Available on the farm and online at shop.babylonstoren.com.
Travel and Leisure
Babylonstoren has been voted the number two resort on the African continent at the Travel + Leisure 2024 World’s Best Awards. Treat yourself with a stay at the Farm Hotel. It’s a haven for families seeking a soulful farm breakaway, whether you get up early to visit the water buffalo as they enter the milking parlour or decide to make it a slow morning and sleep in. Stay over before the end of August and you’ll qualify for the Babylonstoren Farm Hotel winter offer. Stay for 4 nights, pay only for 3.
Click HERE to book a stay.
Sprankel sparkles
The Babylonstoren Sprankel Cap Classique 2018 shines bright among the sparkling wines of the world. It recently won gold in a blind tasting at the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles international wine competition.
The 2018 vintage was also crowned as Platter’s best Cap Classique for 2024. Leaving it on the lees for more than four years adds the richness of buttery biscuits and brioche to the vibrant citrus and crunchy apple flavours. It’s perfectly rounded and balanced with crisp acidity.
Click HERE to shop online.
The blood oranges are here
Your favourite winter fix is ripe and ready! The Babylonstoren farm team just finished the annual blood orange harvest, and these red-bellied beauties are now available in abundance.
Juice ’em, slice ’em, bake ’em or jam ’em. Their blood oranges are grown on the farm and crammed full of antioxidants and much-needed vitamin C.
Order your blood orange abundance box and get it delivered to your door.
It’s fynbos season
Fynbos takes centre stage on the Babylonstoren farm during the colder months. Along the slopes of the Simonsberg, the fynbos is showing off with bright pink Burchell’s proteas and the delicate flowers of kapokbos (wild rosemary) and bitou (also called boneseed bush).
Join them in August for a workshop to encounter the beautiful world of fynbos with master botanist Ernst van Jaarsveld and Babylonstoren entomologist Arné Stander.
Waterblommetjies in the Boland
Cape pondweed, or waterblommetjies as they’re known locally, is a favourite seasonal delicacy. During the Boland’s soakiest season, the waterblommetjie ponds are a hub of activity as the Babylonstoren chefs and gardeners – as well as the local ducks – harvest the nutritious buds.
Visit Babel Restaurant during the colder months to feast on these local lip-smackers. Chef Schalk Vlok loves braaing them over the coals for an innovative take on the traditional classic.
Click HERE to book a table.
Blossoms ... already?
It may feel as if winter has just arrived, but the earliest harbingers of spring have already appeared. In the Babylonstoren garden, blossoms of Sunburst, Alpine and Mayglo nectarines are a flush of pink against the bare branches and grey Winelands skies.
The Babylonstoren garden tour starts at the Farm Shop at 10h00 daily where one of their experienced gardeners will meet you for a meander through the garden.
Booking is essential – click HERE to book garden tour.
Warm up winter
Everyone needs a little extra love on those extra cold winter days, and what better way than with a bowlful of farm-inspired fare. The Babylonstoren recipe and product developers have taken inspiration from the seasonal bounty of winter to create moreish meals to help you glow up this winter. Think pap, wors, and smoortjie, all-day breakfasts and decadent winter puds made with the abundance of citrus from the orchards.
To see some recipe inspiration, click HERE.
Workshops in August
- 2 August – Everything’s better with butter: make butter and bake buttermilk rusks
- 8 August – Master meat: all about venison
- 7 August – Encounter the fascinating world of rocks, stone tools and rock gongs
- 14 August – Encounter the beautiful world of fynbos
- 15 August – Winter farm to table with blood oranges
- 16 August – Bake your own: vegetable galette, quiche and fruit tarts
- 21 August – Inside scoop: the secrets to buffalo mozzarella and gelato
- 22 August – Forage for indigenous veld foods
- 23 August – Bake your own: savoury breads for a festive table
- 27 August – Distilling Cape chamomile and essential oils
- 28 August – Craft your own homemade soaps
To book your spot at one of our workshops, click HERE.