PIZZA NIGHT KALMOESFONTEIN FARM
At Kalmoesfontein Farm, in the town of Malmesbury, Charl Badenhorst is tending to the pizza oven and hand-stretching dough. His wife, Semma, hands me a glass of Caperitif — an amber-coloured vermouth made on the farm and infused with local fynbos (a local evergreen) — mixed with tonic. As I sip, she explains the origins of the farm’s legendary pizza night.
It began during the 2020 lockdown as a pop-up, with neighbours driving over to collect wood-fired pizzas to order. Then, as restrictions lifted, people began hanging around for a glass of wine, until eventually Semma and Charl started laying the tables. Now the Thursday pizza night is buzzing. Bookings are made via WhatsApp — Charl’s number is on the website. The menu, which I stain with olive oil as I dip some fresh bread, is simple: the classics, but with a Badenhorst twist.
South Africa’s Winelands region is known for its stunning natural beauty, and as I move on to a glass of AA Badenhorst Secateurs Red (half shiraz with grenache and cinsaut), I savour the taste of the Swartland bush vines. Then the pizza arrives — melted mozzarella, hot honey and ’nduja. The pillowy crust, which has gained flavour during its long, 48-hour ferment,
