Freelance Writing Jobs | Today's Articles | Sign In

A Delectable Corner of France in Africa

A Valley, Hidden Between Three Mountains, like a Precious Gem

Feb 19, 2009 Johan Liebenberg

The Franchhoek Valley might just be the most beautiful valley in the world. It certainly is the most beautiful in the Cape. It is also a gourmet's paradise.

Franchhoek is like a place you imagine someone, an aesthete, dreamed up because it seems almost too good to be true. It is set in perhaps the most exaquite valley in the world, with the road leading into the village itself flanked by vineyards creeping up the steep slopes. High mountain peaks tower majestically over the town which is a village really.

The Blue Peaks Of Franschhoek

These same high peaks are often covered in snow in winter – a rarity in the Cape with its temperate climate. Even that has a kind of perfection to it because, when the snow melts, in early spring, the pure snow waters irrigate the vineyards below. And it is on the slopes, by the way, that these days the best vineyards are cultivated.

A River Ran Through …

Actually, it took them a while to figure it out and once you’ve figured it out, it all makes sense of course – especially if you are a geologist. Thousands of years ago a river ran through the valley and the result is that the riverbed consists of a loamy, alluvial soil – not ideal for cultivating high quality grapes.

Not that the wines produced here were bad. They just weren’t, on the whole, that good. At any rate this was where the French Huguenots made there home after fleeing France following the fierce religious persecution there. They named the valley “Franschhoek” which means ‘corner of France’. And that is precisely what it is, or has become.

These valiant Huguenots brought with them their viticultural skills and made a tremendous contribution to oenology at the Cape, but especially in the Franchhoek Valley. The various names of the farms are redolent of the French origins of the valley: Haute Provence, Provence, La Motte, L’Ormarins, La Bri ... the list is long.

Gourmet Capital of South Africa

Fortune certainly favours Franchhoek, (if you'll forgive the unplanned alliteration). The reason is that today the valley has become known as the Gourmet capital of South Africa. Most of these really splendid restaurants are situated along the Main Road, but there are wonderful restaurants on the farms too. The main road, too, is lined with B&Bs, all of them pretty, or prettier than the more modern ones built in the ‘newer’ extensions of Franchhoek further back.

Although it is literally tucked away under the Franchshoek mountains, it is possible to approach it via the meandering pass from Grabouw (the N2) – although the most popular and best approach is from Stellenbosh or Paarl, so that you drive through the breathtaking scenery of valley with its vineyards and meadows.

Workers in Overalls; Tourists in Prada

It is a town with exquisite balance. It has all the trappings of a tourist town, with its multitude of restaurants and B&Bs, its general prettiness, but this view is quickly dispelled by the sight of tractors chugging through the town laden with grapes for pressing, and the workers in their ordinary working overalls mingling on main street with the tourists wearing Prada.

Today, many international celebrities have settled here in what is possibly the most sought-after real estate in South Africa. It is an enigma of a small farming town that has, almost overnight, caught the international attention.

The copyright of the article A Delectable Corner of France in Africa in Sub-Sahara Africa Travel is owned by Johan Liebenberg. Permission to republish A Delectable Corner of France in Africa in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A small village, with an international air