Scenic and immaculate, Kleine Zalze offers award-winning wine, acclaimed cuisine, luxurious accommodation and a round of golf on a professional course, all with good old down-home hospitality.
Student Ambition
Kleine Zalze may be part of a whole winelands lifestyle package - residential estate, 18-hole golf course, four-star luxury lodge, winery and restaurant - but essentially it is all about enjoying fine wine and food.
In the late 1600s Kleine Zalze was part of one of several large freeholdings along the Blaauwklippen River that runs through the foothills of the Stellenbosch mountains.
Although its neighbours had long histories as illustrious wine producers, the farm’s own viticultural potential was only realised under the ownership of wine and spirit producer/wholesaler Gilbeys towards the end of the 20th century.
Even so, when attorney Kobus Basson and his partners bought the farm and adjoining land in 1996, the Kleine Zalze winery and vineyards were dilapidated and its wines were barely known. Basson recalls that even as a student at Stellenbosch University he had an interest in wine and would take holiday jobs in local tasting rooms and hoard cases of wine under his bed.
But, he says, it was ex-Springbok rugby hero and legendary vintner Jan ‘Boland’ Coetzee who inspired his love of wine as an integral part of enjoying fine food. And it was Coetzee who acted as consultant when Basson modernised the Kleine Zalze winery and earmarked 120 of the farm’s 280 hectare as prime vineyard land.
Casually Consistent Quality
Some 90 hectares have been replanted to new clones of mainly classic reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz, while Chenin Blanc from mature bush vines and Sauvignon Blanc from cool-climate Walker Bay and Darling vineyards also find their way into the cellar.
Cellarmaster since 2021, having honed his skills under acclaimed predecessors Alistair Rimmer and Johan Joubert, RJ Botha and his trio of young, upcoming winemakers focus on three tiers of wines: the limited Family Reserve bottlings of exceptional wine in certain vintages only; the Vineyard Selection of premium wines fermented and matured in barrels; and the larger Cellar Selection range of easy-drinking, good-value wines. There is also a trio of Méthode Cap Classique bottle-fermented sparkling wines.
Then, on either side of the spectrum, there are Project Z and Zalze. The premium Project Z collection showcases special or unusual varieties, winemaking techniques and styles of wine (a Riesling-Verdelho blend, a Chenin Blanc fermented on skins in amphorae, a Sweet Fortified dessert wine). Each bears its own distinctive label featuring lino-cut prints by leading local artist Theo Paul Vorster. The Zalze label acts as a catch-all for wines for uncomplicated enjoyment.
Top South African chef Michael Broughton came on board in 2004, opening fine-dining Terroir Restaurant next to the cellar and tasting room. He was succeeded by acclaimed cook Nic van Wyk, previously in residence at Kleine Zalze’s luxury Lodge accommodation establishment, and now heading the renamed Kleine Zalze Restaurant kitchen.
He has maintained the quality of the classically-inspired food but introduced a more casual, contemporary style, including a popular, on-trend tapas menu.
It’s in keeping with the relaxed, informal environment incorporating a long, wide terrace overlooking tree-shaded lawns running down to the river, offering indoor and alfresco dining, with private balconies for intimate twosomes and patio tables under umbrellas.
Quintessentially Stellenbosch
Before ordering, wander across to the tasting room to select a Kleine Zalze wine to enjoy with your meal. Dishes are often made with the wines in mind and both waiting staff and tasting room assistants are on hand to advise. The winelist includes a small selection of other top South African wines and carefully chosen imports.
After a leisurely lunch stroll down to the riverside to watch golfers teeing off on the second hole of the 18-hole De Zalze golf course. Designed by American professional Peter Matkowitz, it is one of only three in the world set among vineyards with a working cellar. It hosted the World Amateur Championships in 2006.
Nearby De Zalze Lodge boasts suites that are tiered against the vine-covered hillside overlooking the golf course and the Stellenbosch and Helderberg mountains.
Lodge guests are welcome to take walks in the vineyards or hire a mountain bike. By preserving some 30 hectares of natural vegetation, rehabilitating vineyards and using only non-agricultural land for development, Basson and his team have helped retain the original integrity of land increasingly under threat by suburban sprawl.
The southern part of the Stellenbosch winelands is dominated by the Stellenbosch and Helderberg mountains and, further south, by the magnif...