Regular workshops is held at Babylonstoren as they see it as an ideal opportunity to share what they’ve learned – not only about their garden but about gardening in general.
Take two of South Africa’s iconic products, mix in some live music and gourmet eats, place it in the scenic environment of a Boland wine farm – and you end up with the annual Pinotage and Biltong Festival. It takes place for the fourth time this year on Saturday, 14 and Sunday, 15 April at Perdeberg Winery from 11h00-17h00.
A bit of history
In 1657, a giant granite rock glistening in the sun after a rainstorm was seen by Abraham Gabemma while he was searching for additional meat resources for the new Dutch immigrants at the Cape of Good Hope. He named this granite rock, “de Diamondt” and “de Peerlberg”, which translates to “The Diamond” and “Pearl Mountain”.
35 Years after the arrival of Jan Van Riebeeck at the Cape, in 1687, some Dutch settlers were given land for farming on the banks of the Berg River nearby. The perfect conditions for farming such as fertile soil and the Mediterranean-like climate of this region, gave a major advantage for the settlers to plant orchards, vegetables gardens and above all, vineyards, which today produce some of the best red wines in the world.
Babylonstoren is a historic Cape Dutch farm that boasts one of the best preserved plaaswerwe (farmyards) in the Cape. Beloved for its garden that is laid out over 3,5 magnificent hectares (8 acres), the structure divides into 15 sections that include fruit, berries, bees for pollinating, indigenous plants, fragrant lawns, a prickly pear maze, a clivia tunnel and a plethora of trees of historical and botanical import.