The Farm
i. The Story
In the year 2000 the small farm, that was to become Kleinood, was very different from what it is now. Although its inherent natural beauty and charm was always there, it was, sadly, just a run down and neglected little fruit farm in a beautiful valley against a backdrop of majestic mountains and a river running through it. But it stole our hearts and we decided to give it our best.
In good time we established vineyards and an olive grove. We then built the winery and started producing wine and then olive oil and finally, in 2008, we moved to where our hearts and passion lay.
Over time it has become a personal and highly individual project where no effort was spared in striving to produce a thing of excellence and beauty underpinned with a simple and holistic philosophy dedicated to explore, develop and use the full potential of the farm and human skills in order to produce the best Kleinood is capable of.
ii. The Vineyards
Good wines are made in the vineyard.
Our viticultural philosophy aims to express the best our vineyards have to offer. One of the practices that support this philosophy is to divide the farm into individual vineyard blocks.
Each half-hectare block on the farm is managed as a separate unit that allows the grapes from each unit to be cared for, irrigated, harvested, crushed, fermented and matured in wood separately.
Grapes are selected in the vineyards on a regular basis from the start of veraison, with as many as five passes conducted before being hand-harvested into small picking boxes.
Annual infrared surveys of the vineyards, to determine vigour and ripeness of different areas in each block, enables us to pick our grapes at exactly the right times – the essence for making Tamboerskloof wines.
We establish the pruning weight of the canes, the weight of the bunches, the size and weight of the berries for each block, affording us the opportunity to understand our vineyards and learn how to farm them better and create the correct balance between terroir, vine and grape.
iii. The Winery
The Kleinood winery is the heart of the farm – a manifestation of the unique terroir and character of this simple, unassuming haven where, in a delicate balance between science and passion, no viticultural or oenological effort is spared, to produce a wine that is truly honest and elegant – a wine that does not reflect what we have done to it, but expresses the complexity of its origin and our dedication to producing singular wines of the highest quality.
Fine wines require flexibility and time.
At arrival in the winery, the bunches are sorted by hand on a sorting table. The berries are then hand sorted on a separate table after de-stalking before being crushed into a satellite tank, lifted up to roof level, suspended and rolled overhead to the fermenter earmarked to receive the particular block. This intricate process protects the grapes from undergoing any harsh pumping treatment. ‘Softly, gently’ is the Kleinood mantra.
Attention to detail
every step of
the way.
The cellar houses a wide variety of fermenters – both in size and style to so create a flexible environment wherein the full potential and origin of each pocket can be explored and nurtured.
The ‘free run’ wine gravitates into barrels from the fermenters, while the fermented skins are scraped by hand into a basket for pressing in the cellar’s state of the art basket press.
The winery, a study in simplicity, combines the structural and technological expertise of owner-designer, Gerard, in a clever combination of technology and tradition, designed to work very softly with the grapes and to afford the winemaker the most flexibility possible.
Winemaking is alchemy. It is wind, rain, sun, and soil mysteriously absorbed by the vine to produce juice filled berries that we, through the fine balance between magic and science, gently coax, to become a thing of beauty in every sense of the word.
The distinctive, yet characteristically understated, labels are hand printed with an antique wooden press on handmade paper that is torn to size by hand and stuck onto each individual bottle by hand.
iv. The Tasting Room
The tasting room on Kleinood is a homely extension of the winery.
It captures the intimate and inviting spirit of this small and precious farm.
Here we pour our beloved Tamboerskloof wines for family, friends, fans, foreigners and critics alike.
An abundant and ever-changing seasonal platter is served, filled to the brim with delicious farm fare.
Visit The Tasting Room on Kleinood Farm
On a rainy day, around the long table inside the tasting room, next to the cosy fireplace.
On a balmy day, next to the duck pond in the courtyard filled with roses.
On a windless day, in the shade of the old Oaks, with a view of our vineyards and the majestic mountains.
Here, you will need no more than a glass of wine in hand, to make life as good as it gets.
Kleinood Farm is open
Monday to Saturday
10am to 4pm
Open on Public Holidays
Closed on Sundays
Closed on Saturday 15 February 2025
join the
Secret Syrah Society
A homage to a cultivar and its aficionados.
Enjoy an intimate private tasting
hosted by Kleinood owner, Gerard de Villiers,
and/or wine maker, Reynie Oosthuizen,
in a quiet corner of the Kleinood barrel cellar,
showcasing the finest vintages of Tamboerskloof Syrah,
alongside special bottles of Syrah
from other local and international producers.
A seasonal platter will be served.
Available Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm.
Seating 4 to 6 people at R1000 per person.
Enquire for smaller gatherings.
Booking Essential.
Kleinood is not only about wine…
v. The Shop
de Boerin has now found a room of her own,
and trades her goodly things
from a boutique outlet with a breath-taking view.
To find her, visit Kleinood farm,
follow the narrow leafy pathway on the mountain-side of the winery,
and just beyond the glasshouse, in the shade of the old oaks,
you will find a small stone building.
Here, in a vernacular unique to Kleinood,
de Boerin showcases a small body of ever-evolving products rooted,
as are Kleinood’s Tamboerskloof wines,
in the terroir of this extraordinary piece of land.
Herewith an invitation to visit de Boerin,
see her handmade farm fare, garments and perfumes,
and journey to times when people still had time…
de Boerin is open
Monday to Saturday
from 10am to 4pm.
