A Flavour of Franschhoek

1st-4th December 2022

Franschhoek was the foodie jewel at the end of our Garden Route tour. A place of wine farming dreams and exquisite (and surprisingly affordable) meals - earn the pound, spend the rand as they say!

We spent three days in the most delightful Airbnb belonging to Steve and Emma, our British hosts who had moved out there 15 years ago, and I can completely see why. Their home was tucked away between two vineyards (La Bri and Le Lude) and their swimming pool had a view across the whole valley. Safe to say Ben and I now have our second retirement plan firmly in place.

Franschhoek (literally meaning French corner in Afrikaans) used to be called Olifantshoek, meaning elephants corner, as it was one of the elephants main migrating spots before the farms were established. During the late 17th century many Huguenots, who were being persecuted by the Roman Catholic church in France, fled to South Africa and were given permission to start farms in the valley. They brought with them their knowhow of wine making and today it is home to over 40 wine farms, some of which still hold their original names.

Try though we did, it was impossible to hit up all the vineyards in the area, but we did manage to squeeze in a few of the best:

1. Babylonstoren

It’s hard to go far without hearing the mention of this wine farm, and wine farm is putting it mildly. Imagine Daylesford Organic meets Bordeaux, in Africa, on acid, and you might just start to get an idea of what it’s like. They not only are producing wine, but also pressing olive oil and balsamic vinegar, growing and roasting almonds and pecans, distilling aromatherapy oils and making scrubs and scented candles and even honey. They have Jersey cows and water buffalo, producing cheeses, yoghurt, milk and ice cream, a fully stocked butchers and bakery. It was a feast for the eyes and tastebuds and enough to make me want to up sticks and move in permanently.

What was so impressive was the ethos behind this place. No signs saying, “do not touch” “keep off the grass”, but everywhere was accessible. Children were running around and you were encouraged to pick and try the fruit. There was an overwhelming sense of generosity and abundance; everything was for everyone to enjoy.

We were fortunate enough to get a 2 hour tour with one of the head gardeners and botanist extraordinaire, Ernst. He had worked for 40 years at Kirstenbosch botanical gardens and there was a plant, succulent or tree that he didn’t know or understand. He spoke as if plants have personalities and told us what life lessons we can learn from the plant kingdom when we take time to understand them. Ben and I spent 2 hours with our jaws wide open as he took us around the succulent garden, the rockery with 2 near extinct cycad palm trees they were trying to rebreed, the kitchen garden, the medicinal garden (shaped like a body, explaining all the different plants and their benefit for certain ailments). There was just so much to take in, and we all decided in the end we wanted to be more like Ernst!

Fun Fact: Carats for diamonds were sized originally according to the seeds from the carob tree which were so uniform in size and weight and were used as a guide.

We loved it so much we decided to head back for a second time, this time to sample the wines which did not disappoint. They have a delicious range of easily accessible whites and pinks and some punchy reds that even I enjoyed. I also got to make my own personalised body scrub in their ‘Scent Room’ (my absolute fave!) and we enjoyed coffees and a blueberry cheesecake cruffin (a croissant muffin hybrid) and a sticky apple and almond pastry, dripping with cinnamon honey. Heavenly all round (and don’t worry, my following reviews won’t be nearly as long!).

2. Maison (Chefs Warehouse)

This was a particularly special place to visit as I had been once before in 2005 and had a wonderful meal, but was now able to go and enjoy it with Ben! A beautiful setting in the Maison wine estate, a very relaxed dining style (which seems to be the case for most of SA) with a delicious tapas menu, all set in different locations (e.g. at home, in the garden, by the sea, on the farm etc.) The food was delicious and enhanced by the pot belly pig and fluffy white chickens roaming around. A couple of piccies below show what we had, but presentation was exceptional and a real treat!

3. Oku

A restaurant rather than a vineyard, but I would say the best meal that we’ve had since being in Cape Town. Asian food, exceptionally done, beautifully presented and full of flavour. We tucked into duck wontons, sticky pork belly, prawn sesame toasts and the best Korean chicken boa buns. Would highly highly recommend if you ever visit!

4. Jordan Wines (Stellenbosch)

We were (almost!) too full to have another meal, however this was a special one. Jordan wines in Stellenbosch arranges picnics in ‘pods’ surrounding the lake next to the vines. You are greeted, your drinks order taken and then you are led to your ‘pod’, fully kitted out with blankets, cushions, enormous picnic hamper and wine cooler. And the picnic was pretty exquisite. Local cheeses and cured meats, homemade pickles and chutneys, delicious mini quiches, fish pate and freshly baked ciabatta, sourdough and focaccia. The pudding box was a highlight at the end – a pecan pie and millionaires shortbread. Let’s just say we didn’t need another meal for a while after!

A few practical tips (if you ever go one day):

1. Bike Hire

Franschhoek is not the biggest of towns, and it almost has too many wine farms per square hectare, however distances are still too large to walk and even cycle for some wineries. We hired e-bikes for an afternoon, which were very fun, but did limit us to a certain number of vineyards we were able to visit. The main road traffic is fast, at times quite ‘hectic’ and I wouldn’t advise cycling on it!

2. Wine Tram

We didn’t do this, however, it does look like a fun way to get around and if you’re really keen on drinking more than is sensible to drive on, a good option. I would advise making sure you plan lunches, wine tasting appointments etc. all on the same line. You are also slightly restricted to the tram schedule so might not be able to spend as long as you’d like in some places.

3. Booking

There are some places which get very booked up well in advance, so if you are planning a trip to the winelands, get on it with booking dinners and lunches beforehand. One place that seemed to have no availability for months was Babylonstoren, unsurprisingly! Even if your plans change (people are very forgiving about cancelling – they’re much more chilled out here!) at least you’ve got something to work with.

4. Other things to do…

There are only so many glasses of wine one can enjoy before feeling a bit worse for wear! Thankfully, there are lots of other wonderful things you can do in Franschhoek and the area. There are beautiful hikes up Mont Rochelle, go swimming in the Berg River Dam, cycling and even horse riding in the vineyards (something I have always wanted to do since watching the Parent Trap!). Paragliding was also on the list – we didn’t manage it this time around, but I can’t think of a more spectacular spot for it.

Other Vineyards worth seeing (from recommendations):

· Boschendal (picnics among the vines and farm to fork restaurant, ‘The Werf’)

· Dieu Donne (amazing views!)

· Delaire Graff (again, amazing views and uber lux wine tasting setting)

· La Bri – they do wine and chocolate pairings here which is definitely my kinda of wine tasting

· Antonij Rupert – one of the most reputable vineyards, which have not only wine tasting, but gardens and a vintage car collection. Pretty cool.

I hope that's given you a flavour of Franschhoek. Personally, I think it's one of the most beautiful places in the world and frankly, you really should just go!