Leenders De Saffraan Peer Chenin Blanc 2023

After harvest, the grapes are pressed and the juice ferments at a low temperature in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation, the wine matures for another 6 months on the lees in used wooden barrels of 300 l.

In 1639 Wijnand Leenders was born in the small forest town of Bezuidenhout, in Holland. Wijnand, a young farmer with an adventurous spirit, decided to sail from the island of Texel to Batavia with his ship “De Vergulde Tijger” on August 15, 1665. Because a stopover was necessary, the ship anchored in Cape Town on January 30, 1666.

The Gilded Tiger never saw Batavia because Wijnand remained in southern Africa. Due to his agricultural background, he was soon appointed head gardener at the VOC's Company's Gardens (Kompanje's Tuine). These historic gardens where fresh produce was grown for passing ships were also where some of the first vineyards in South Africa were grown. Wijnand Leenders (from Bezuidenhout) quickly became known as Wijnand Bezuidenhout, one of the first winegrowers and winemakers in the southernmost tip of Africa.

Winemaker Francois Bezuidenhout is a descendant of the old Wijnand and was born in the small port town of Port Elizabeth on the southeast coast of South Africa. Coming from a family of sheep farmers from the Little Karoo, he became interested in wine when the family moved to Cape Town in the late 1980s. In 2014, he qualified as a Cape Wine Master and joined an elite group of individuals committed to promoting and championing the South African wine industry. Always the entrepreneur, Francois took the plunge and started making his own wines in 2017.

For those who love a fruity, juicy glass of white. Delicious as an aperitif, with light fish dishes, salads, dishes with grilled vegetables and goat cheese.

The oldest cultivated tree in South Africa comes from the Netherlands and is an old Saffron Pear from the time of the Dutch East India Company. In 1652, Hendrik Boom, commissioned by Governor Jan van Riebeeck, started building a fruit and vegetable garden to provide the VOC ships (on their way to the East) with fresh food to prevent and cure scurvy. a dreaded disease due to a Vitamin C deficiency on these long journeys. Ten years later, the garden was already 21 hectares in size, and it was rightly a 'thriving' company. Wijnand Leenders worked in these gardens as head gardener and saw the small tree grow. The centuries-old tree is still alive and produces a little fruit every year.

This wine is named after this beautiful living piece of history.
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