The Babylonstoren UK Wine Club offers blends created especially for its members, as well as a year’s membership to sister hotel the Newt in Somerset. Rose Dykins reports
South African vineyard, farm and hotel Babylonstoren has launched a UK wine club, offering a taste of the historic Cape Dutch estate to British wine lovers – and the chance to taste blends that are unavailable anywhere else in the UK.
Every three months, Club members receive a mixed case of six bottles delivered to their door. Cases are curated by winemakers at Babylonstoren, led by the estate’s cellarmaster Carlo Coetzee.
Each selection will showcase different grapes and vintages, including Babylonstoren’s signature oaked Chardonnay and Mourvedre Rosé – the official rosé of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 (Babylonstoren is the show’s official rosé wine sponsor this year).
Babylonstoren will also create exclusive blends especially for wine club members, and send them in each quarterly delivery – along with a special gift each time.
Priced at £100 per quarter, subscriptions also include membership to Babylonstoren’s sister estate the Newt in Somerset. Members gain annual access to the estate’s elegant gardens, acres of ancient woodland, its host of on-site activities and experiences, and its shops and restaurants. UK Wine Club members also save 20 per cent on Babylonstoren wine purchases online.
Located close to Franschhoek, in the heart of South Africa’s Cape Winelands, Babylonstoren is one of the country’s oldest Cape Dutch Farms. A working farm, garden, winery and hotel, it has been transformed by owner Karen Roos, former editor of Elle Decoration magazine.
Babylonstoren Hotel sits at the foothills of the Simonsberg Mountain. With a strong focus on staying attuned with nature, each accommodation option – the Farmhouse, Manor House, Garden Cottages, Fynbos Cottages and family-focused Fynbos Family House – embodies modern farm luxury, and offers views over the estate’s vineyards and orchards. 
The Garden Spa’s treatment rooms are built from living bamboo, and the hot spa offers a restorative experience. Other hotel amenities include the Farm Shop, a Cellar and Tasting Room, an Olive Press and Spice Garden hothouse, and a converted Wheat Barn available for events.
The farmstead is also home to Babel, an internationally acclaimed farm-to-fork restaurant housed in a former cow shed, with a contemporary, edgy vibe. The more relaxed Greenhouse Restaurant offers light, fresh meals served “picnic-style” using fresh seasonal ingredients inspired by the garden.
Meanwhile, the estate’s interactive wine museum, The Story of Wine, showcases the history and cultivation of wine, through exhibits including antique corkscrews, terroir breakdowns and exhibitions on wine tasting and aromas.