A winter weekend in Franschhoek

The more I visit Franschhoek, the more I fall in love with it. We spent some time wandering around Provence a few years ago and I actually think that Franschhoek is more beautiful. (Not to mention the very important fact that the wine in our South African “corner of France” is a bazillion times cheaper).

So a couple of weeks ago, when Cape Town was very much still clinging to winter, I dropped everything (i.e. my important series-watching plans) to join my parents and youngest sister on a wine-tasting, food-eating getaway to Franschhoek. And it was MAGICAL.

Laura’s one request was that we drink bubbly during the course of the weekend, so obviously we ended up at Villiera on Friday afternoon, which is my favourite spot to sip on MCC by a fireplace. Although it’s not in Franschhoek, it’s kinda on the way there from Cape Town and totally worth a visit – particularly for the nougat and bubbly pairing.

On to our accommodation: a stunning guest house on La Chataigne. I thought it was going to be a bit dreary to stay on a wine farm in winter, with all the vines looking so dead, but just look at that light. Perfection. We squeezed in a walk before dinner, which we chose to have at the Franschhoek Kitchen. My risotto was delicious and we were given as much complimentary homemade bread as we wanted, which is always a sign of a top-notch restaurant, amiright?

The next day, after a tasty brekkie at Good Food & Co., we found ourselves at Babylonstoren. *Cue the sighs of rapture*. The photos deserve a post of their own. In fact, when I die, I want to be buried in that garden. They probably won’t allow it though, so, dear family, please cremate me and sprinkle my ashes in the prickly pear forest when no one’s looking. After a few hours in the garden, we headed to the tasting room for a relaxed wine tasting, which I’d never been to and is definitely worth the visit.

Next up was Plaisir de Merle, at my request, after I had tried their Chardonnay earlier this year and declared it the best in South Africa (and therefore the world, because we make the best wine in the world, obviously). It’s safe to say that a lot of Chardonnay was loaded into the boot of my car that afternoon.

As with most wine tasting adventures, I always overestimate the amount of farms you can pack into one day, and suddenly it was basically dinner time, so we headed to ROCA at Dieu Donne to end off the weekend. I’d been to Dieu Donne for the wine tasting before, but never the food – and I was truly blown away by the excellent butternut soup and creme brulee.

But the best thing about our trip? We used the Entertainer app for just about every single outing, and saved almost R1000 in total. (Well, to be specific, my dad saved R1000. LOVE IT when the parents come to visit.) I know I might sound biased because I work at the company, but I’ve really started using the Entertainer in a big way this year and have found such cool spots because of it. And saved a lot of cash! Okay, sales pitch over.

Where’s your favourite spot for a sneaky getaway in the Cape? I feel like planning a spring escape next…