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Monday, March 18, 2024
HomeTravel GuideFood & DrinkFranschhoek Wine Tasting Guide: A Life of Indulgence

Franschhoek Wine Tasting Guide: A Life of Indulgence

The Franschhoek Wine Tasting Guide is part of the South America & Africa Points Heist Trip Report.


Like golf, I used to believe that wine was reserved for the old and wealthy. My knowledge of wine came from the movie Sideways as did my resentment for merlot. Through plenty of research and development, I have increased my knowledge of vino that I now fancy myself a wine connoisseur. Like golf, I may not be able to break par, but I do know more than the average lush who groups wines into two categories: white or red. The journey to wine proficiency began by wine tasting in Napa, then Argentina, followed by Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and, most recently, Chile and South Africa.

Every region has its own varietal, its own ‘we are famous for’, and its own wine tasting experience. I will never forget how I was gripped with fear when I had to bicycle from one vineyard to the next in Mendoza. TPOL truests will recall my journey from the insane asylum in Sicily up Mt. Etna, only to be pulled over by Italian’s finest on the way back to being committed. In Franschhoek, there are a few ways to do the wine tour. The first option is Uber, a necessary option if you want to visit Anthonij Rupert’s vineyard and car museum. The next option is to walk to those surrounding Franschhoek, for example, Le Lude is nearby. The final option is the tourist route on the Franschhoek wine tram.

With only one night in Franschhoek (a mistake), I went with the convenient Uber option and visited the following:

  1. Anthonij Rupert (day one)
  2. Le Lude (day two, am)
  3. Leopards Leap (day two, afternoon)
  4. Simonsing (Stellenbosch, day two afternoon en route back to Cape Town)

I would recommend spending two nights in Franschhoek. The first day should be spent visiting Rupert’s vineyard and car museum followed by dinner at Le Bon Vivant. The second day should be casually spent walking around Franschhoek, eating, and perhaps taking the tram to get in as many vineyards as possible. The third day should be spent the way I did in day two, morning champagne, afternoon wine, and one more bottle with a burger at Simonsing. If you can somehow handle more food and more drinks, extend your wine tasting to the college town of Stellenbosch, a wine tasting experience i did the first time I visited Cape Town (see Guns & Butter: Cape Town Travel Guide).

As you can see from these photos, eventually there’s a tipping point for indulging in vices.

Day 1

a silver car on a white surface
Rupert’s Car Museum
a group of wine glasses and bottles
Rupert’s Bubbles
a glass decanter with red liquid
Rupert’s Red
a plate of oysters and a plate of food
Le Bon Vivant
a road with trees and a mountain in the background
Franschhoek in the early evening

Day 2

a dirt road with rows of plants in front of mountains
The walk to Le Lude
a truck driving on a dirt road
Left in the dust of the tram
a group of wine glasses on a table
Le Lude
a street with cars and buildings on the side
Franschhoek City Center
a smoker outside a building
BBQ in Franschhoek
a sign with a tree in front of it
Leopards’ Leap

a building with a glass roof a glass of wine next to a bottle a plate of food on a table a glass of wine next to a bottle a sign with pictures of animals

a bottle in a bucket of ice and glasses
Simonsig

a plate of food with a bowl of fries and a burger a man sitting on a bench holding a glass of wine

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6 COMMENTS

    • I stayed at the protea franschhoek (review coming). I’ll write a post about all the costs when it’s all said and done.

  1. It looks great. One of the above pictures shows nighttime, but it seems awful bright. Were the days really long? If so, another reason to visit around the New Year.

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