Leenders

Leenders

In 1639, Wijnand Leenders was born in the small forest town called Bezuidenhout, in Holland. A farmer with an adventurous spirit, Wijnand decided to set out to the tip of Africa on 15 August 1665 – when he was just 27 years old. A farmer by trade, he was soon to be appointed as Head Gardener at the VOC’s Company’s Gardens (Kompanje’s Tuine). In this historic garden where fresh produce was cultivated for passing ships, some of the first vineyards in South Africa were also grown.

Wijnand Leenders (from Bezuidenhout) soon became known as Wijnand Bezuidenhout, one of the first vine growers and winemakers at the southern tip of Africa. Today, centuries later, his legacy is honoured by a new generation of Bezuidenhout-family winemakers. The Bezuidenhout family is a direct lineage of Leenders.