OVER 150km / 1½hr drive from Cape Town, at the beach with not a vineyard in sight, The Saldanha Wine & Spirit Co of Adi Badenhorst and his cousin Hein is the only specialist Sherry-style wine producer in South Africa. According to Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl, writing for Platter's 2026 SA Wine Guide, the range of fortified wines offers such “profound complexity and depth” that the team awarded Five Star ratings to three of them – the Pale Dry #9 and Amontillado #11 Sherries (NV), both scored 95/100, and the 2014 Hanepoot #4 scored 96 points. Platter's Newcomer Winery of the Year also offers several other styles of Cape Sherry, a Jerepigo, a couple of Cape Ports as well as Pétillant Naturel sparkling wines made according to the ancestrale method.
The Saldanha wines were being made at the AA Badenhorst cellar on the farm Kalmoesfontein in the Paardeberg area of the Swartland before the operation was expanded to 35 Main Road in Saldanha up the West Coast. Visitors are welcome but the ‘company' doors aren't always open to the public – you're strongly advised to phone ahead or to book in advance. When the ‘open' sign is up, the kitchen operates from noon to 4:30pm, wine tastings are offered between 12:30 and 13:30 and the Oyster Wine & Sherry Beach Bar serves from midday until 7pm. At the time of writing, the fortifieds were selling at R200pb (500ml).
THE SALDANHA WINE & SPIRIT CO
35 Main Road, Saldanha Bay
“Reviving the tradition of South African fortified and sweet wines”
Open on certain days only (walk-ins welcome but bookings via Dineplan highly recommended)
Tel +27 (0)83 651 1377
christine@aabadenhorst.com
www.instagram.com/saldanha_wine_and_spirit_co/?hl=en
www.facebook.com/aabadenhorst
Established in 2009
First bottling in 2023
Owners Adi & Hein Badenhorst
Winemaker Adi Badenhorst, since 2009
Restaurant: Oyster Wine & Sherry Beach Bar
One Response
We are open in January 2026 on the 3rd and 10th so far.