About Kleine Zalze

Kleine Zalze is our family-owned winery situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands, just two miles from Stellenbosch. Winemaking has taken place on our estate on a small scale since 1695 but it was in 1996, when Kobus Basson and his family purchased the property, that the modern Kleine Zalze was born.

Our philosophy is simple: success begins in the vineyards. Exceptional wines are made possible by selecting varieties and clones specifically suited to the various soils and slopes, and further careful management of the farm’s extensive natural assets.

This continuous attention to detail culminated in Kleine Zalze achieving new heights in 2020 and being named Top Performing Winery of the Year by Platter’s South African wine guide, arguably the most comprehensive guide to South African wine in the world.

Located on a variety of slopes, soils and aspects, the vineyards that bear the fruit for the Kleine Zalze range of wines are exposed to fresh ocean breezes from the Atlantic coast, which lies a mere 15km away. This cool climate yields delicate flavours whilst at the same time providing optimal growing and ripening conditions for our fruit.

Fruit is sourced from the 120ha of vines planted on our estate, with the remainder coming from long term contracts, giving control from vine to bottle. Viticulturists Anel Botha and Henning Retief provide the foundation for our prize-winning wine portfolio, ensuring grapes of exceptional quality by employing viticultural techniques that focus on sustainability.

Their decisions, such as vine row planting direction, trellising and the height of vines above the ground, as well as the shape and density of leaf canopies all impact on the quality of fruit delivered to the cellar. Extensive yield reduction is also carried out to produce the best quality, fruit driven wines with outstanding character and maturation potential.

  • Our Green Approach

    From the outset the environment has been an important consideration for us and the estate’s development has constantly taken this into account. We comply with the internationally recognised Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) scheme. The scheme certifies that the grapes and wine are produced according to environmentally sustainable production methods. Compliance with the IPW guidelines assures the buyer and consumer that the production process is environmentally sustainable and that the food safety requirements have been met.

    We support and are accredited by the Wine & Agriculture Ethical Trade Association (WIETA) and also actively support local charities and organisations that are involved in community empowerment.

  • Cap Classique

    Our selection of bottle fermented sparkling wines to celebrate special occasions and share magical moments. We only use the finest selected parcels of the traditional grape varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to carefully craft our Cap Classique wines.

The Kleine Zalze Restaurant

The Kleine Zalze Restaurant offers a holistic and integrated food and wine experience. Well-known and respected chef Nic van Wyk leads the team at the restaurant and the focus is on timeless, honest, generous, and authentic cooking.

The menu at the Kleine Zalze Restaurant changes regularly to offer a compact selection of plats du jour – a collection of delicious dishes inspired by classic cuisine. Alongside the plats du jour consumers can choose from a collection of cold tapas as well as an interesting list of warm tapas plates. Incredibly popular, the tapas plates are perfectly pitched for a lighter meal at the restaurant, a snack with a glass of wine or to complement a wine tasting. To round it all off, there is a delicious selection of deserts to choose from.

The restaurant offers outside dining on the terrace where the atmosphere is relaxed and serene. Inside the restaurant offers modern, contemporary style with touches of traditional Cape elements.

Our brand-new Taste, Explore, Relax menu that will run daily from Monday to Saturday will offer you, our guest not only a selection of new dishes but also the choice of the portion size that you would like to enjoy. Taste – think tapas, Explore – similar to a starter or light lunch, and Relax – a traditional main course. All of these options are of course naturally and easily paired with a glass or bottle of Kleine Zalze wine.

Kleine Zalze wines