Leenders Wine

THE LEENDERS STORY

Our story

In 1639, Wijnand Leenders was born in the small forest region of The Hague, Netherlands known as Bezuidenhout.
A farmer with an adventurous spirit, he set sail for the southern tip of Africa on 15 August 1665, from the island of Texel in North Holland.
He finally arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on 30 January 1666 on the Dutch flute (fluit) De Vergulde Tijger (Golden Dragon).

Skilled in cultivation, Wijnand was soon appointed Head Gardener at the VOC’s Company’s Gardens (Kompanje’s Tuine).
This historic garden, where fresh produce was grown for passing ships, also nurtured some of the first vineyards in South Africa.
Here, Wijnand Leenders of Bezuidenhout became known simply as Wijnand Bezuidenhout — one of the earliest vine growers
and winemakers at Africa’s southernmost point.

Today, centuries later, his pioneering legacy lives on in a new generation of
Bezuidenhout family winemakers — direct descendants of Leenders himself.

1647
De Nieuwe Haarlem ran aground near present-day Table View during a storm, forcing about 60 crew members to stay behind for nearly a year. Their survival, and the reports they later sent to the Dutch East India Company (VOC), directly influenced the decision to establish a permanent refreshment station at the Cape.
1652
Jan van Riebeeck and the VOC arrive at the Cape of Good Hope.
1659
Wine is made for the first time from Cape grapes.
1666
Wijnand Leenders arrives on De Vergulde Tijger, a Dutch flute from Bezuidenhout, The Netherlands. He is know as Wijnand van (from) Bezuidenhout.
1668
Wijnand marries Jannetjie Gerrits of Amsterdam at the Cape.
1674
Wijnand Leenders dies in an unfortunate accident on the slopes of Table Mountain.
1679
Simon van der Stel becomes governor of the Cape.
1702
Wynand Bezuidenhout, son of Leenders, heads a land campaign to the east (Oosgrens).
1863
The Bezuidenhout family arrives in Steytlerville in today’s Eastern Cape and starts farming on the farms Langveld and later Skietkraal.
1983
The 11th gereration of Wijnand’s descendants are born, later to establish Leenders Wines
2017
Leenders Wines are born