La Motte offers the Quintessential Franschhoek Wine Valley Experience
La Motte in Franschhoek is my 137th winery visit in South Africa. I have actually visited on numerous occasions but never actually counted it as a review. This time I was prepared and took full advantage of the full La Motte experience in style.
The winery is conveniently located just off the main road to the left as you enter the town centre of Franschhoek. The estate has good security (Drivers licence needed) and a paved road to the parking lot. A massive statue greets you as you drive in, this is the woman with the chelice flowing with water.
La Motte Harvest Experience
On this lovely day in late February, I tried the "harvest experience" and was taken through a guided tour around the estate, vineyards and wine cellar by a very friendly and knowledgeable patron of La Motte. My favourite part of the tour was walking through the "vineyard museum" where you can see the vines of different varietals (as seen below). I then of course loved the barrel room, just for the divine aroma!
Afterwards, we enjoyed some wine tasting and then a harvest platter at the restaurant.
Cellar tours can be pre-booked on the La Motte website or you can aks when you arrive.
Wine Tasting at La Motte
The tasting room is made to look like it has quite a lot of heritage to back it up, and even though this estate does have quite a history, established in 1695, the tasting room is newly built and modern.
I absolutely loved all the tables that allowed for social distancing whilst still feeling rather comfy. Wine tasting is R60 for the current vintages and there are other options available too including food and wine pairing.
Their website is set up beautifully and you can even book online! Click on the image below to check it out.
La Motte is very proud of their awarded Sauvignon Blanc so you should definitely make this a part of your tasting. The wine range is quite extensive so you will enjoy chatting to your La Motte patron who will tell you about the wine. I really loved the ice-cold water on the table, it was really very well welcomed on this hot day.
The barrel room and wine cellar can be seen from the tasting room and one is allowed to enter the barrel room to take some pics. It is Instagram worthy ;)
Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant
The restaurant is top class with various seating options to choose from either indoor or outdoor. In the winter months the inside area is really rather comfortable and you can see the kitchen in action. Also, get there early to enjoy a coffee in front of the fireplace! Heaven!
The food is fantastic and the waiters are equipped to tell you everything there is to know about the menu. Also, I noticed that the wine menu is 10 times larger than the food menu - so you have my approval hehe.
Download a Sample Lunch Menu.
On a sunny day you will definitely enjoy the outside area. I would recommend that you buy a glass of wine and enjoy a cheese platter. The wine is served in Riedel glasses and the platters are freshly prepared with local ingredients.
The outside area is really rather stunning so if you want to sit here be sure to book in advance and arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Museum
The La Motte Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 – 17:00 and the entrance fee is free if you want to just walk around but if you want to book a tour, here are the options below:
Art Experience: R80 per person
Explore the practical aspects of printmaking through a guided exhibition tour and print demonstration on alternating weeks, concluded with wine from the Pierneef Collection and something savoury.
Historic Walk: R80 per person
Preceded by a résumé of the history of the estate, the tour proceeds through the rose garden and dwells at four provincial monuments, concluding with an artisan bread tasting.
Sculpture Walk: R80 per person
Celebrating the important role of women in society the walk visits 11 sculptures on the estate, followed by a tasting of our Méthode Cap Classique and a traditional French Madeleine.
I enjoyed the Sculpture walk which took us all around the estate including inside the museum.
Gift Shop
The gift shop is packed with elegant finds with my favourite being the fynbos liquid soap and hand lotion. You can also buy artisanal bread. It's a super pricey gift shop so be sure to have a full wallet because it will be hard to resist a purchase :)
In Conclusion
I absolutely loved my experience at La Motte. This winery is best suited for sophisticated couples or groups of friends with numbers anything from 1 - 8. The menu is quite pricey so come prepared.
Booking is a must and the weather doesn't matter however sunny days are best. There were plenty of kids running around and playing in the water (which for me was lovely to watch albeit rather noisy) however I still would not recommend this place for small kids - I can imagine that they would get quite bored.
P.s. they have hiking trails which I hear is super! Although I was in heels so couldn't try it this time, but perhaps sometime in the future.
Much wine love,
Leanne
x
Contact
La Motte Wine Estate (PTY) Ltd,
PO Box 685, Franschhoek 7690, South Africa.