Franschoek afternoon with Solms Delta and La Motte

A sunny autumn day has to be celebrated. We headed out to Franschoek to enjoy some wine and great food.

Our first stop was at Solms Delta.For R20 you can taste  6 wines. A highlight of the tasting was our wine host. He had a brilliant personality and explained each wine in great detail but also to such extent that we as commoners:) could also understand it. All their wines are blends. My favourite was the Amalie which is a blend of Viognier, Granche Blanc and Rousanne. The Africana, which is their flagship Shiraz , is the only non-blend wine and also one we especially enjoyed. Solms Delta also likes to experiment and they made a "wine" out of pears. It's more like a cider but was very refreshing at the end of the tasting.  I am heading back when summer is in town again to enjoy their picnics and visit their restaurant, Fyndraai.
 

The entrance to La Motte

Breath-taking

For lunch we headed to Pierneef a La Motte. I've waited for a long time to find a special occasion to go and visit them but then I realised that a beautiful day is enough of a reason. The estate is magnificent. You drive up a long driveway heading towards the beautiful mountains of Franschoek that towers over the beautiful La Motte statue.

The farm-stall to your left and Pierneef a La Motte entrance at the back. If the weather permits it you can enjoy your day outside in the beautiful surroundings.

The big star of the estate is the late artist Pierneef. The restaurant is named after him and the art-gallery has a vast amount of his work.

Pierneef at work

The art gallery at La Motte

Make sure you have time to go and visit

Painting by Penny Siopis

 

One of the Pierneef pieces I liked

 

 His work also features on La Motte's wine bottles.

The restaurant has a homey atmosphere. It's decorated with beautiful linen chairs, some featuring the late Pierneef, crisp white linen table cloths and I was especially enchanted with the beautiful ceramic chandeliers. The lounging areas and burning fireplace added to the iniviting atmosphere of the restaurant.

The chandeliers I loved

Inviting fireplace

 

Service is excellent. Everything just happens without you realising it. Your silver changes before each course and your wine and water glasses are topped up before you can say anything.The recommendations the waiters made I also valued highly.

You can watch the chefs hard at work

The prices for starters range from R60 - R79. We enjoyed the Franshoek salmon trout and horseradish ravioli with roasted cauliflower and sorrel milk and the steak tartar which was a speciality of the day. The winner for us was the steak tartar.

Salmon trout ravioli

The steak tartar

The prices from mains range from R79 - R198. The star of the afternoon for me was the mosstroop braised porkbelly with mustard baby potatoes and pickled beetroot relish. The richness of the porkbelly was countered with a fresh pea puree and the mustard that was added to the baby potatoes gave the dish a great zesty taste. The other dish we tried was the free-range chicken and hazelnut ballotine served with green apples, lime atjar, chickpea puree and chardonnay cream. The side dishes to the chicken was especially enjoyed by the boyfriend although he felt the chicken was a bit overcooked.

Porkbelly

Chicken ballotine

By the end of the meal we were so satisfied but we had to sample some of their desserts. During our meal beautiful  crafted sweet treats were carried passed us to fellow diners so we decided to share something.

Desserts range from R20 - R70. You can order cakes, macaroons and cupcakes from the farm stall as well. We shared the dessert nostalgia which was a trio  of pancake, bread and butter pudding and steamed ginger pudding. What a pretty and delicious dish it was. I fought for the steamed ginger pudding and the boyfriend for the bread and butter pudding

The food at Pierneef I can describe as a surprise. It looks very pretty and enjoyable and then we you eat it a vast amount of flavour hits you and you play a guessing game with what you are experiencing. Our one dish we were certain there was a English tea leaf aroma somewhere in it but you never would have guessed it from the original dish. That why I like food and will sometimes pay a little extra than normal as it's truly an art to create dishes like that.

 You can buy wine by bottle or glass. We enjoyed the La Motte Sauvignon Blanc which was well priced at R22 a glass.

The farm-stall 

Be sure to go and browse around.

A visit to the wine-barrels at the La Motte tasting venue

Pierneef a La Motte overlooking the pond

 

You can also do a wine tasting at the estate for R40. To get to the tasting area you have to walk over a beautiful bridge spanning over the pond that the restaurant is situated on. It's a beautiful tasting room decorated in a dark colours. A great contrast with the outside surroundings. While you taste you overlook some of the barrels the excellent wine is made in.

A visit to La Motte is a great cultural experience where you can feast with all your senses on beautiful surroundings, interesting art and delicious food and wine.


You can also visit them for afternoon tea that is reasonably priced at R125p/p

Pierneef a La Motte
Contact them at 021 876 8800
Visit them on the R45 Main road, Franschoek
Follow them on twitter @pierneeflamotte or for more information visit their website to see what else they also offer.

Solms Delta
Contact them at 021 874 3937
Visit them on the Delta road off the R45, Groot Drakenstein, Franschoek Valley
Follow them on twitter @solms_delta or visit their website for more information.