PaardenKloof Estate is situated in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom and represents the epitome of what can be achieved on these beautiful northern slopes of the Babilonstoring Mountain Range.
The current vineyards were planted in 2003. Our records show that the first vineyards were planted at PaardenKloof in the early 1800’s when our unique valley was used by the Voortrekkers to herd their horses at high altitude to avoid the Tstetse fly that decimated their herds. The farm was aptly named PaardenKloof, meaning “Valley of the Horses” in Dutch. To this day these wild horses roam the Bot River lagoon.
Our farmland speaks of an even more ancient history, with two age-old rivers originating from the land. These are the Gouka and Leeu Rivers that were used by the Khoisan to sustain their Nguni cattle herds for thousands of years. The name Gouka is derived from the term “gouga” meaning “butter” in the Khoisan language, the product traded between the Khoisan and settlers for generations. Bot River was subsequently named after “botter”, the shortened Afrikaans term for butter. “Leeu” means “lion” in both Dutch and Afrikaans and refers to the roaring sound of our river when in full force.
The Swart Rivier is joined by the Gouka River on the eastern boundary, and the Leeu River on the western boundary. The Babilonstoring Mountain Range supplies the farm with fresh water, and boasts the highest peak in the Overberg, towering over the valley at an incredible 1167 meters.
Today, the farm is a celebration of environmental intelligence, historical preservation, and sustainable farming and winemaking in the tradition of our Khoisan and Dutch ancestors.
PaardenKloof Estate was also the first to re-introduce and maintain a healthy, pure, indigenous herd of Nguni Cattle in the area.