Franschhoek Style | Summer 2010 by Brett Rothmann

Summer 2010 / 2011

R24.95

La Motte • The Magic of Bubbles

• Cloudfall 1

COVER

The Wine Bearer, La Motte Estate Image © Siegfried Schafer

4 6 10 14 16 18 22

Letter from the Editor Helen Naudé

Quick Ones Valley information

Spring Diary Events calendar

Good Food Outside Eat Out

Good Twins Franschhoek & Knysna

The Magic of Bubbles Summer celebration

La Motte A culture of excellence

Contents

26 29 30 34 38 42 46 50 54

Cloudfall Natural rarity

Reuben Writes Food trends

Good Wines Summer wines from the valley

Heaven in Helshoogte A suggested itinerary

Chris Everson A take on a cameraman's life

Not-So-Secret Garden La Rive

Passing Beauty History of the Franschhoek Pass

Driving in Franschhoek Style Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing

Living Simply - in Style Easy living at Val de Vie Wine & Polo Estate

58 62 65 68 76 80

Good Buys Shopping

The Good that People Do Breaking the fast

Good Books Homing by Henrietta Rose-Innes

Good Art South African landscape art

Franschhoek Tourism Directory Maps and business listings

À Bientôt! Backpage conversation

"Reflecting the good life in Franschhoek" PUBLISHER Schäfer Media CC PO Box 92, Franschhoek, 7690 021 876 3460 www.franschhoekstyle.co.za

Editor

letter from the

Welcome to the summer issue of Franschhoek Style

he feedback on our spring issue was everything we could hope for. While enjoying our sojourn on cloud nine, we thought it a good idea to do a summer cloud story. We suspected that our environmental exper t, Professor Rust, had the lowdown on a good one, and found him keen to share the facts. His ar ticle on the cloudfall in Franschhoek is full of magic and gives one a clever explanation to offer interested viewers the next time nature puts on this spectacle. The joys of summer are often quoted and we unpack a few gems here and there. I like "summer set lip to earth’s bosom bare" by Francis Thompson, but DuBose Heyward said it best to Gershwin’s music in Porgy and Bess with the lovely lyrics "summertime and the living is easy". You’ll find more quotable quotes in Siegfried’s article on the bubbly festival. Memorise them, you may need them in future! I wondered whether the line in Ode to a Nightingale by Keats "as though of hemlock I had drunk" would have bearing on the festival, but then thought that would be too severe. Later in the poem there is the line "with beaded bubbles winking at the brim" which seems more appropriate. Lest we get carried away, remember Keats also referred to "leaving great verse unto a little clan" in his Ode to Maia. In this issue, we tell you about great options for eating outdoors, stroll around a large and lovely garden, drive a new set of wheels, visit one of our most beautiful estates and take to the mountain for a story from our history. We thought you might want to sit down and read a good book too, and perhaps do some armchair shopping, so we included that. It stands to reason that famous chefs do not only cook but like talking about food, Reuben Riffel being no exception. We’re delighted that he took time to share his thinking with us. Franschhoek is full of life in summer. We enjoy seeing our farmers bring in their harvest of grapes for winemaking and deciduous fruit for packing and marketing. We look forward to meeting visitors who spend time in our village whether they stay over or come for the day, alone or in a group. In this sparkling season we celebrate the good life and as Madame Lily Bollinger said about champagne, “Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone; when I have company I consider it obligatory." Glad you could join us!

EDITOR Helen Naudé editor@franschhoekstyle.co.za MANAGING EDITOR Siegfried Schäfer siegfried@franschhoekstyle.co.za ADVERTISING SALES Merilyn Chance sales1@franschhoekstyle.co.za 083 301 2927 PUBLISHING ASSOCIATE Barry Phillips barry@franschhoekstyle.co.za 083 441 8280 IMAGES La Motte, Solms-Delta, iStockphoto.com, Paula Wilson Media Consulting, La Residence, Siegfried Schäfer, Rickety Bridge, Seeff, Eddie Wilson - Foto Artist Studio, Mont Rochelle COVER IMAGE La Motte DESIGN & LAYOUT David Silberbauer Virtual Da Vinci Creative Room david@virtualdavinci.co.za WEBMASTER Phillip van Wyk Virtual Da Vinci Creative Room phillip@virtualdavinci.co.za PRINTING Paarl Media Paarl, Western Cape CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE Helen Naudé, Siegfried Schäfer, Franschhoek Style Editorial Desk, Prof. Izak Rust, Michele Lupini, Jenny Hobbs, Rachel Strydom, Marc Stanes, La Motte, Cathy Clayton, Nick Norman, Reuben Riffel Franschhoek Style is published quarterly by Schäfer Media, in conjunction with TCB Publishing, a member of TCB Group. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Schäfer Media, TCB Publishing or any of their clients. Information has been included in good faith by the Publisher and Editor, and is believed to be correct at the time of going to print. No responsibility can be accepted for errors and omissions. No material (articles or photographs) in the publication may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without specific written permission from the Editor. Submissions of articles and photographs for the publication are welcome, but the publisher, while exercising all reasonable care, cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage. Unless otherwise arranged with the editor, please ensure that all correspondence is e-mailed to editor@franschhoekstyle.co.za Copyright © 2010. All copyright for material appearing in this magazine belongs to Schäfer Media, TCB Publishing and / or the individual contributors. All rights reserved.

Enjoy the read.

Helen.

www.tcbgroup.co.za • www.virtualdavinci.co.za

Quick information

ones

Text: Editorial Desk, Huguenot Fine Chocolates | Images © Mont Rochelle Hotel and Mountain Vineyards, Huguenot Fine Chocolates, Siegfried Schäfer, Penchant Design

Mont Rochelle guests make ‘green’ memories True to their reputation for doing things differently, the team at the 5-star Mont Rochelle Hotel & Mountain Vineyards are helping their guests to make green memories and offset their carbon footprints at the same time! Select repeat guests are offered the opportunity to plant their very own olive tree on the Mont Rochelle property. During the first year of this endeavour 85 trees have been planted in a dedicated grove – each one distinguished by a personalised name plaque. “Our tree-planting project underscores Mont Rochelle’s commitment to upholding the principles of environmental awareness and responsibility. It also upholds the adage that one person can make a difference. With each olive tree planted, one of our guests is assured of his or her contribution to greening our small corner of the globe,” says owner of Mont Rochelle Erwin Schnitzler.

Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa The World Luxury Hotel Awards are like the Oscars of the hotel industry. Hard to win, very prestigious and sure to put a hotel on the international map – if it’s not already there! According to Eben Lassen, the hotel’s General Manager, “It is a great honour for us to be recognised as a world-class establishment on an international level, especially within the realm of luxury and service excellence, elements we strive to perfect constantly." Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa has been nominated in no fewer than four categories in these prestigious awards. Travellers or the travel industry can nominate hotels after which after a panel of industry heavyweights votes for the winners. Le Franschhoek has been nominated in the categories for Luxury Romantic Hotel, Luxury Spa Hotel, Luxury Country Hotel and Luxury Hotel and Conferencing. The winners will be announced in 2011. See www.lefranschhoek.co.za for more information about the hotel.

The Chocolate Experience

Good news for chocoholics is that you can indulge in a ‘Chocolate Experience’ at Huguenot Fine Chocolates, Franschhoek’s famous Belgian chocolate shop. It’s a three-part programme conducted by Belgian-trained chocolatiers: the story of chocolate, a chocolate tasting and a demonstration of how chocolates are made.There’s also a two-pack to take home. It lasts just over half an hour and costs R35 per person. Conducted daily, including weekends. To book call (021) 876 4096.

Lapeirousia corymbosa Common names: painted petals, cabong (Eng.); koringblommetjie (Afr.)

Franschhoek Rocks

What these little members of the iris family lack in stature (seldom growing taller than 15cm) they certainly make up for in charm. The flowers appear in clusters on a much-branched stalk and range from deep blue to almost white in colour with a distinctive white central star. Fourteen species of Lapeirousia occur in the fynbos biome. The common name ‘cabong’ derives from the Khoisan for whom the corms were an important food source.

The mountains embracing Franschhoek are among the oldest in the world. If that seems like a bizarre claim, when it is known that there are much older rocks elsewhere, it’s because – unlike us – nature is in the eternal business of recycling. The really ancient mountain chains have long since been ground down to stumps and eventually flat plains, by the same processes active today: rain, snow and wind; following which stormwash, streams and rivers carry this rockderived topsoil into the sea. There the sand – and boulders and clay – ultimately consolidate to be lifted up, millions of years hence, to form new mountains. The hard sandstone in our mountains resists erosion fiercely, though, so the Franschhoek valley is a lot older than 300-odd years. In fact it has probably changed very little since before the Himalayas started to form, around 15 million years ago, long, long before the apes first left their arboreal home.

Geology

Nick Norman co-author of Geological Journeys published by Struik Nature, an imprint of Random House Struik

Gems

Tanzanite is a variety of the widely found mineral Zoisite. It’s the rare presence of Vanadium, unique to tanzanite, that is responsible for the assortment of alluring blue hues. Colour variation is also influenced by its trichroic properties – i.e. the rough form radiates 3 different colours: violet, blue and burgundy. Therefore once cut and polished, individual colours vary from royal blue, violet, indigo and lilac to soft periwinkle. The size of the stone also influences the colour, with larger stones always exhibiting much more concentrated, saturated colours. Tanzanite has a Mohs hardness score of 6.5-7 making it suitable for special dress rings, pendants and earrings, but less advisable for wedding rings. Fortunately no one has been able to synthesise tanzanite in a laboratory, so it continues to be sought after as a very desirable, precious and rare gemstone. Cathy Clayton of Penchant Design

Calendar

Diary

Summer Text: Editorial Desk, Solms-Delta | Images © Johann Koch, Cape Dutch Connection, stockXchange, La Motte, Solms-Delta

Look out for: • • • • • •

Farmer’s Market at Holden Manz Wine Estate every first and third Saturday of the month Weekly market under the trees at the Dutch Reformed Church every Saturday morning Sunday morning MTB outride. Contact Geddan Ruddock for details 082 578 3017 Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve special events at Franschhoek restaurants. Details at www.franschhoek.org.za Romantic Valentine’s day offers Live music and dinner at La Petite Ferme on Friday evenings

Johann Koch art exhibition at La Petite Dauphine From 19th December until end of February 2011, internationally acclaimed artist Johann Koch will show a collection of exquisite Karoo and Wineland paintings at La Petite Dauphine, in Excelsior Road. This exhibition, comprising miniature and large paintings is a must, for collectors and lovers of fine art. For further info contact 082 569 8649 or visit www.johannkochart.com

Johann Koch

Jazz on Friday

Cape Dutch Connection Jazz on Friday The new season of Jazz on Friday, featuring the Cape Dutch Connection, kicked off on 29 October 2010 and continues every Friday until 1 April 2011 from 5.30pm - 8.30pm. This season, the band will be playing at a new venue, Col'Cacchio Pizzeria in Huguenot Street, Franschhoek. Band leader Derk Blaisse says the venue is perfect. “The garden at Col’Cacchio has a wonderful country feel and is set against the backdrop of the Franschhoek mountains. Being in the main road we have the advantage of attracting passers-by and the vibe of being in the middle of a cosmopolitan village.” Cape Dutch Connection is a jazz quintet with vocalist Charlette Dickson, Wesley Rustin double bass, drummer Jack Momple, Derk Blaisse on piano and a guest soloist on saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet or trombone. Tickets are R140 per couple and include a bottle of wine. To book call Andrew on 071 401 6054, or email franschhoek@colcacchio.co.za

La Motte Classical Concerts Cape music lovers are familiar with the monthly classical concerts held in La Motte’s restored historic cellar. Classical music is very much part of La Motte, whose owner Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg is one of the country’s leading mezzo-sopranos performing under her professional name Hanneli Rupert. The 4 December concert features Avigail Bushakevitz on violin and Albie van Schalkwyk on piano. Avigail Bushakevitz's long list of awards at national competitions culminated in her winning the First Prize at the UNISA National String Competition in 2009. This propelled her onto the international music scene. She has been accepted into the master’s programme of the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York. With Albie van Schalkwyk at the piano, she will perform sonatas by Mozart, Brahms and Debussy. Concerts start at 19:00 and admission is R140 per person. Visit www.la-motte.com for information on forthcoming concerts.

Bubbly festival The 2010 Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival, takes place over the weekend of 3 – 5 December. Some of France’s best Champagne will be available alongside South Africa’s finest Cap Classiques. The winemaking method is virtually the same, so it comes down simply to the terroir and skill of the winemakers. The centrepiece of the festival will be a grand marquee on the sprawling lawns surrounding Franschhoek’s famous Huguenot Monument, where bubbly stalls will be interspersed with stalls from local restaurants offering delicious delicacies to match.

Bubbly Festival

La Motte Classical Concerts

Radio Kalahari Orkes

Saturday Summer Concerts at Solms-Delta The Saturday Summer Concert season at Solms-Delta wine estate started on 27 November and runs (excluding Christmas and New Year weekend and Sat 8 January) until 5 February 2011. Soak up the sun, scenery and sounds of this magical concert series while indulging in a glass of wine and a hearty Kaapse braai buffet. Local favourites Delta Soetstemme, Delta Langbroeke and Lekker Lekker Delta will be joined by the popular Radio Kalahari Orkes and much loved Hannes Coetzee as well as Les Javan (Solms-Delta’s musician artist-in-residence). Go to events and summer concert updates on www.solms-delta.co.za for the latest programme information Time: 6.30pm to 9.30pm Bookings: Fyndraai 021-874 3937 ext 115 or restaurant@solms-delta.co.za Cost: R170.00 p/p. Children under 12yrs – R85.00.

Gourmet

Food

Good

Outside Eat Out Text: Editorial Desk | Images © Mon Plaisir @ Chamonix, Chamonix, Le Bon Vivant, Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spar, Le Quartier Français

Under the oaks at Mon Plaisir

on Plaisir @ Chamonix is at the top end of Uitkyk Street on the Chamonix Wine Estate; David cooks everyday, the fare is strictly French bistro. David emphasises that although he uses local produce, his food is not French-inspired-with-alocal-twist, but authentic French, exactly like you would find in Paris. Here lunch is not a fast food affair, it’s a gourmet affair under oak trees from where the view of the valley is a feast for the eyes. Dinner is cosy intimate in “auberge” style. The summer menu retains favourites like the Salmon Tartare and “Petite Caille à la française” the roasted quail. We suggest you try the Scallop Carpaccio or the Crème Brûlée au Foie Gras as a starter and the fresh Line Fish of the day with lemon potatoes (mash with lemon, chives and olive oil) as a main course. Choosing your dessert could be a bitter thing, because you may find yourself decidedly undecided about what not to order. There’s the puffed Grand Marnier Soufflé, the homemade frozen Nougat Glacé with berry coulis or the fine Apple Tart with ice cream “maison”. The wine choices are easy, as the wine list is carefully compiled and includes the wines from the estate and a selection from the winelands as well as some excellent French ones.

Mon Plaisir

En plain air at Le Bon Vivant

Close to the village centre, but a block up from the main road, the good life is what lean and lanky chef Pierre Hendriks says eating well is part of. You may be drawn to the interior by the cool culinary light fittings, but find an outside table where sunlight is standard. You’ll find bitterballen! on the menu, so try this traditional Dutch version and let us know what you think. Summertime in Franschhoek is smoked salmon time and here you’ll find it at its best, served with poached egg, potato rösti and hollandaise sauce. It goes well with Haute Cabrière Tranquille, so get a bottle. Vegetarians will find themselves on cloud nine when they spot the Camembert dumplings with zucchini, salad leaves and red pesto. We always include "Angels on Horseback" (oysters, bacon and rocket) in our lunch order. We also always have a glass of local bubbly as accompaniment. Pierre has come up with a sweet tooth’s dream dessert, little bits of everything! Banana Croquettes, Cinnamon and Vanilla Soufflé, Mocha Hazelnut Gateau, Chocolate and fruit Sorbet.

The Common Room Le Verger

Eating on the Stoep at The Common Room The Common Room at Le Quartier Français is much more laid-back than the Tasting Room. The idea is that the locals and passers-by will come grazing. They do not take bookings, in fact it is one of the three rules of The Common Room. The other two rules are no whining and no swearing. We bear this in mind as we suggest this outside eating out place, outside being the lovely Victorian verandah out front or the back porch overlooking the garden. The menu is a blessing for all who prefer ordering two starters instead of a main course, those who want to taste as many things as possible, those just looking for a bite to eat and them thin people who are intimidated by big plates of food. The menu items are small, affordable and fascinating, which makes grazing a sensible mode of eating. And to think it was all thought out for you by Margot Janse, one of the best chefs in the world. Tuck into, or nibble at chickpeas with chorizo and mint, chilli mealiemeal and chevre puffs, springbok bitterballen with apple mustard, and prawn toast. Bear in mind that there are lipsmackers waiting at the end. These include chocolate and milk ice cream sandwich and sticky bun ice cream with sugared almonds. Yummy!

In the orchard at Le Franschhoek The really charming thing about this eating out option is that the food is out as you come in. It is immediately temptingly on display, waiting for you. This is a picnic, an elegant one, and is referred to as a French Affaire. The picnic spot is Le Verger, which puts you in the orchard with its 20-year-old trees, but you can pick up your goodies and relocate to the garden or the conservatory. French music will drift towards you and the staff with the top-up bottles will find you. It’s easy to recognise the staff; they wear French berets and wear the picnic menu on their T-shirt over their six-packs. Getting back to the food; first collect your biodegradable accoutrement of carry bag with funky plates and utensils, and then work your way from cold meats to freshly baked breads, via quiches, salads, pâtés, cheeses, home-grown olives, pizza slices and tapas. Do a return trip later on for sweet things on the table where the homemade lemonade (arguably better than Mom’s) and iced tea are. The mountain view confirms the good choice of picnic spot, as does the easy-drinking French Affaire house wine in the complimentary glasses.

twins twins

tourism

Franschhoek & Knysna

Good

t is by all accounts true that opposites attract, but in the case of the twinning of places it is commonality that provides the attraction. In the case of Franschhoek and Knysna you are probably wondering whether they are drawn together by a close relationship because of the elephants that feature in both their histories, or because the bubbly produced by the one is the perfect par tner to the oysters harvested by the other. Good point. Either way, they are set to share their bounty and double the pleasure. Officially the reason for the twinning of the two towns is that they are highly compatible tourist and lifestyle destinations. The similar things they share are prime geographic locations, similar business and demographic profiles, high-end real estate, and festivals for which both residents and visitors have developed a fond loyalty. The complementary things (like Champagne and oysters) are the seaside of Knysna and the mountains of Franschhoek, the food and wine of the valley and the natural attractions and shopping at the coast. Reciprocal visits by representatives of the Franschhoek Wine Valley and Knysna Tourism, sealed the twinning deal recently, and was signed to a Memorandum of Understanding to make it official. When Dom Perignon tasted Champagne for the first time he exclaimed that he had tasted the stars. Now that qualifies as a pearl of wisdom. It is a shor t step to connect that pearl to an oyster, which is then connected to Champagne, which is directly linked to our Cap Classique. It proves that Franschhoek and Knysna belong together.

Text: Editorial Desk | Images ÂŠ Knysna Info, Siegfried SchĂ¤fer

s 19

Festival

Bubbles!

The Magic of

Text: Siegfried Schäfer, Chris Smit | Images © Stock Exchange, Franschhoek Wine Valley, Chris Smit

“Champagne, in victory we deserve it, in defeat we need it.”

hese are Napoleon Bonapar te's famous words which Winston Churchill once quoted. Churchill who, even at the height of WWII, was seldom far from his stash of Pol Roger clearly also wanted it when he wasn’t specifically deserving or needing it. No doubt he, like others who live the good life, understood that you don’t need an excuse to enjoy some bubbly! With the approach of summer in Franschhoek our collective minds invariably turn to things sparkling and vivacious. This is not only because we look forward to welcoming attractive fun-loving visitors to our valley, but also because December is when the valley stages its annual Cap Classique and Champagne festival. Inspired by the prospect of summer bubbly, Franschhoek Style spoke to some of our valley’s Champagne characters to get their take on all things effervescent. We star ted by asking Jean-Philippe Colmant of Colmant Cap Classique and Champagne about the difference between Méthode Cap Classique and Champagne. Does the difference simply come down to terroir, with the Cape lacking Champagne’s famous chalk?

Here’s what he had to say: “The chalky soils are impor tant, but Champagne’s cooler climate is more impor tant. Grapes from Champagne have a much longer ripening period than in SA. They achieve very ripe grapes, but lacking sunshine, their sugar levels are low, meaning they often have to add sugar to get to the required level. On the other hand, we in SA achieve very healthy grapes but sugar may pick up very quickly. With sugar levels, and not ripeness, determining our time of harvest our grapes may not yet show full ripeness when harvested. If cleverly handled, this problem can be overcome by the right selection of vineyards, use of wood for maturation and the use of reserve wine.” Jean-Philippe quickly adds “It’s important though that we shouldn’t see Cap Classique as an attempt to copy Champagne, but as a proudly South African bubbly with its own unique qualities.” With that settled we trundled up the track that leads to Jacoline Haasbroek’s “My Wyn” boutique winery on the slopes of du Toitskop. My Wyn is Franschhoek’s smallest winery, yet makes a surprising variety of wines - though never more than 3 barrels of each. We asked Jacoline

what it is about Cap Classique that made her want to add it to her range. Says Jacoline, “I really enjoy surprising guests, despite my boutique venue, with the luxury of an MCC. My tasting nook offers the grandest views over the Franschhoek Valley; reason enough for a toast to our spectacular natural beauty. My MCC style, like my other wines, reflects my own preferences. Using no modern mechanical equipment, my base wine is 100% fermented and matured in third-fill French oak barrels for a fuller style. The longer maturation on the lees, for that extra yeasty bouquet, also makes my MCC such a fitting accompaniment to a meal”. Our next appointment was with Chris Smit, the gracious chef at Franschhoek’s beloved Café BonBon. Would he create a dish for us that is devilishly delicious when paired with one of our local bubblies, the MORENA Brut, we wondered? Turn to the next page to see what he divined. Superb on its own bubbly is also the basis of a number of cocktails. There’s the classic Kir Royale - made with a dash of Crème de Cassis, the lesser know Pêche Royale – made with Vin de Pêche, and

then there’s my favourite summer cocktail, the Bellini. Giuseppe Cipriani of Harry’s Bar in Venice is credited with creating the Bellini. He appropriately named it after the Venetian painter, Giovanni Bellini, who was known for his sensual use of colour. The ingredients are simple: one par t white peach puree and 3 par ts bubbly. If you’re a traditionalist use Venetian white peaches and Prosecco, otherwise go local! Just remember the Ciprianis consider it sacrilege to use yellow peaches. Using peach juice is even worse, but it does happen – par ticularly in the US of A. Pour the peach purée in a champagne flute and slowly add the bubbly. Then find a quiet spot, preferably with a sunset view, sit back and let the days travails ebb away with every refreshing sip. There you have it. We’ve put it to the test and it is indeed like Marlene Dietrich said,

“Champagne makes you feel like it’s Sunday and better days are just around the corner."

Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival (sponsored by Investec Private Bank) This summer’s Cap Classique and Champagne festival on 3rd to 5th December again attracted not only Franschhoek and other Western Cape bubbly producers, but also some French producers. Dieu Donné, MORENA Cap Classique, Pierre Jourdan, Graham Beck Wines, My Wyn, Colmant Cap Classique, Môreson and Topiary make up the Franschhoek contingent. The French contingent includes Billecart Salmon, Gosset, Guy Charbaut, Mailly and FolletRamillon. Franschhoek’s top restaurants have stalls interspersed between those where sparkling libations are poured from where they serve up tasty treats to festivalgoers.

Taking full advantage of the Cape’s glorious summer evenings, the festival is open from 6pm to 10pm on Friday the 3rd. On Saturday and Sunday the festival is open between 12pm and 6pm. The festival theme is Black and White, with a prize awarded to the best-dressed couple on each day. The entrance fee is R180.00 per person, which includes a tasting glass and a complimentary booklet of tasting coupons. Additional tastings are charged on consumption. Tickets are limited and can be purchased through www.webtickets.co.za.

Prawns with vegetables & noodles à la Chris Smit Ingredients:

Method:

Extra virgin olive oil • 1 Onion, chopped • 2 Cloves of garlic, chopped • 1 Tbs. Tomato puree • 250 ml Prawn stock • 1 Carrot, julienned • 2 Baby marrows, julienned • 12 Mange tout, julienned • 1 Handful of Broccoli florets • Squeeze of lemon juice • Salt & pepper to taste • 24 Queen Prawns, shelled & de-veined •300 gr. of Soba noodles, cooked al dente • 1 Ripe tomato, diced • Fresh dill, to taste

Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized pan, add the onion and cook for a minute. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste and then add the prawn stock. Allow to reduce until thick. Add the prawn tails and cook for a minute over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the julienned vegetables and cooked noodles, close the pan and allow to stand for a minute more. Remove the lid, squeeze some of the lemon juice over, test for seasoning and adjust to taste. Divide between four bowls, top with the diced tomato and fresh dill and serve.

Estate

Motte

a Culture of Excellence Text: Helen Naudé, Siegfried Schäfer | Images © La Motte

As you leave the R45 to turn into the gate at La Motte, the estate’s welcome is a gracious one. The paved driveway that stretches between wide lawns and vineyards leads to the sculpture of the Wine Bearer. This serene lady with her abundantly overflowing cup directs you to the Cape Dutch buildings of the farmyard.

Chef's Table

he estate’s ethos is reflected in the undisturbed fynbos of the Wemmershoek Mountains that define the horizon of the farm, and in the white buildings amongst the ancient oak trees below. It is realised daily in the products of the talented winemakers, chefs and artists who work in these quarters. CEO Hein Koegelenberg describes La Motte as “the total Cape Winelands experience.” You’ll discover the experience in different places, starting with the tasting room. Here, flanked by the harvest and barrel maturation cellars, you’ll get to know the La Motte wines and learn to recognise and like them. If you’re a

white wine drinker you’ll want to put the Sauvignon Blanc on your favourites list. If you prefer reds the Shiraz will no doubt be on your list. The flagship wine is named for the owner, Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg. Newly released, the “Hanneli R” is a superb blend of four red varietals that is produced only in exceptional years. While you’re about it, you may want to arrange a private tasting in the Shiraz studio. From the tasting room you have a good view of the barrel maturation cellar. It provides access to the boardroom with its dramatic, backlit wine display and the smaller family vinoteque with its Pierneefinspired chairs and the estate’s vintage wine collection.

You may be reluctant to leave the comfortable tasting room with its riempie chairs, wooden tables, plush leather couches and Persian rugs, but the food has a place of its own. The Pierneef à La Motte restaurant is home to the talents of chef Chris Erasmus. Here he creates Cape Winelands cuisine anchored in authentic recipes garnered from the history books. Weather permitting, the restaurant space extends out to the stoep and lawn around the old oaks. Sit down to “King’s bread soup with braised veal knuckle karmenaatjie (a gift package of meat products), roasted bone marrow and pot bread” or “Cape bokkom (salted, dried fish) salad with

Chef Chris Erasmus

dried tomatoes, dried apricots, quail eggs and wild garlic dressing” for starters. For main course safely consider “Pickled aubergine and buffalo mozzarella tortellini with tomato and basil water and summer vegetables” or “Pan-fried wildebees (a large African antelope with horns like an ox and a tufted tail) loin, Porcini three-bean salad, tomato and buchu (a Cape medicinal plant) jam.” Finally treat yourself to “Breakfast” for dessert! The farm shop with its oak barrel ceiling is on your way to the museum, so stop to shop. The shelves hold beautiful breadboards and salt cellars made from recycled barrels, hand-carved bread knives, art books, aprons and biodegradable plant containers.

King’s Bread Soup

The next place is all about culture. The first space in the La Motte Museum is dedicated to the history of La Motte, Cape Dutch architecture and the Rupert family. A selection of works by South African artists fills the adjoining space. Art-filled walls change to glass walls that surprise with unexpected mountain and vineyard views as you make your way to the next space. Pause here for the display depicting Hanneli Rupert’s achievement as internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano. The big space ahead of you houses a collection of works by important South African painter Jacob Hendrik Pierneef. The public display of this collection, acquired from his only daughter Marita,

has been one of the most anticipated recent events in local art circles. The exhibit includes the painter’s palette and other artefacts from his studio.The seating, catered for by large riempiesbankies and curved upholstered stools, is deserving of a mention too. As you pass from one place to another at La Motte, there are encounters with agricultural antiques comfortably occupying their space like heirlooms of landed gentry. You will want to stop and touch the beautifully restored wood as you ponder their history. Kids are encouraged to play on the lawn and outsize chessboard while the adults nourish body and soul. As Hein says, “It’s a total experience.”

Food and Wine Pairing

Cloudfall

Evironment

hen atmospheric conditions are just right Franschhoekers are treated to a grand natural sight, a spectacular cloudfall streaming off Franschhoek Mountain above Keerweder, or flanking the crest of Middagkrans Mountain, pouring through the neck of Franschhoek Pass on its eastern side, and, towards the west, sliding down the old elephant pass; once in a while even over-topping the highest crest of Middagkrans itself. Grand and mysterious, when a cloudfall is in operation, a seemingly never-ending stream of cotton-woolly cloud descends into the valley, its upper surface smooth and blinding bright in the sunshine, its lower curly wisps blowing in the wind like spooky flags,

Text: Prof Izak Rust | Images ÂŠ Eddie Wilson - Foto Artist Studio

vanishing into nothingness as you try and trace each misty strand flapping away on its downward journey. Some cloudfalls continue on their way down the valley as a brisk southeaster; others just give up quietly, transforming themselves into a gentle breeze. Occasionally a single cloudfall stream appears, creeping stealthily down the mountain slope, coming from a source invisible to us lowlanders in the valley, the surrounding mountain peaks cloudless and in bright sunshine. At times most of the crestline of the Franschhoek mountainland in the cul-de-sac of the valley is over-topped by a nearcontinuous cloudfall. It all depends on the passing quirks of local atmospheric and meteorological conditions. And just when you think

the entire sky is going to cloud over under the relentless roiling of the advancing cloudbank, the whole show ends, the day morphing into sunny, crystal-clear, blue sky. It’s pure magic! Whether a traveller enters the Franschhoek Valley from the west, driving in on the R45 in bright sunshine towards the cloud-capped wall of mountains ahead, or coming down the misted-up Franschhoek Pass from the Villiersdorp side, the vista is unique and surprising. The cloudfall phenomenon of the Franschhoek Valley is a special display of one of Nature’s rarities. A common happening during Franschhoek’s summer season, the cloudfall starts its journey far out to sea over the warm waters of the Agulhas Current in the Indian Ocean. That is where the wind picks up its invisible moisture load. As the southeaster cuts across land on its way to Franschhoek Valley, it rises slightly and cools, condensing its water into a cloudy mist that banks up against the rising peaks ahead. Usually, under these atmospheric conditions, the entire region around the Theewaterskloof Dam, as well as the southern part of the Franschhoek Pass, is clouded in dense mist down to ground level. As the wind is forced upwards by the cliffs, the cloud intensifies, and a cold,

light rain may fall on the peaks. Next time you see a cloudfall rushing across the neck of the Franschhoek Pass, drive up there to experience the marked change in temperature as you pass from sunshine down in the valley into cloud at the top. But be prepared for limited visibility in the mist, and a chilly, driving rain! The drive back down the pass into sunshine and clear sky comes as a happy relief. Of course, as far as the cloudbank goes, what goes up must come down, and, if you can still recall your school science, the cold air up in the cloud is heavy, and therefore will flow down the mountain slopes into the Franschhoek Valley. This drives the cloudfall. But … more science … as the cloudy wind goes lower, both its pressure and temperature increase, causing the condensed moisture simply to evaporate, literally into thin air, taking with it our spectacular cloudfall. But, of that you can be sure, when conditions are right, the cloudfall will be back. The vineyards hugging the mountain slope of Franschhoek Mountain no doubt benefit from the moisture-driven cloudfall during dry summertime and, who knows, one day one of these cellars might commemorate this marvellous natural display on a wine label.

Reuben opinion

writes Text: Reuben Riffel | Images © Reuben's

ccording to Judith Martin (better known to most as Miss Manners), the dinner table is the centre for teaching all the accomplishments of polite society except the minuet. It’s little wonder that, despite the professional nonchalance they attempt to sport, every chef wants to know what’s happening in the kitchen of the Jones’s chef. Accolades bestowed on foreign chefs serve as particular sources of inspiration for competitive local chefs who hope to set similar standards to their international counterparts. The human predilection for chasing trends can be seen on dinner spreads just as much as it can be perused in fashion spreads. Molecular gastronomy has been the fad since El Bulli and Fat Duck became known, but the followers of this style of cuisine are swiftly moving on. Almost two years ago trends started changing because of the economy. We’re using cheaper meat cuts like offal more often. We’re growing our own vegetables and showing a heightened concern for provenance. Scratch cooking is replacing convenience foods, and gastronomy is seeing a return to basic ingredients in a Da Vincian quest for sophistication through simplicity. Another popular contemporary perception is that human beings eat nutrients, not food. So much so that orthorexia, a medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids certain foods in the belief that they are harmful, has gained significant prevalence. If pursued sensibly, however, this shift in consciousness can prove to be an admirable feat. It’s about time we stopped treating our bodies like playgrounds and started sending them orders they can make sense of. If eating a superfruit a day will really keep the toxins at bay, I for one am buying a basket. Protecting the livelihood of the planet and its other living beings has also become a noteworthy priority. Lone-ranger chickens are currently à la mode, as is non-traditional, sustainable seafood and tighter fishing

regulations (give a man the right fish and he will eat consciously for the day; teach him to fish and he will sit on the boat all day drinking beer). Another popular concept today is that of Unami, or the fifth flavour. The term, which originates from the Japanese word for delicious, denotes that taste aspect of food that is neither sweet nor sour, salty or bitter. Umami was first identified as a specific taste as far back as 1908 by the Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It is described as, wait for it: the savoury taste imparted by glutamate and five ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products. If that doesn’t really get you salivating, think Spaghetti Bolognese. Other trends to look out for include regional cuisine, culinary cocktails, artisan liquor and more child-friendly restaurants. And of course while we’re emulating the molecular structure of the elusive fifth taste, there will always be someone somewhere on the globe trying to perfect the pap-tovleis ratio.

Wine

Good

Wines Text: Editorial Desk | Images © Participating Cellars

Summer is synonymous with celebrations. It is also when Franschhoek’s annual Méthode Cap Classique and Champagne Festival takes place. Need we say more about our choice of summer wines? Local Cap Classiques on this page and if you turn the page you lose the bubbles, but retain the Champagne varietals – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Pierre Jourdan Brut Sauvage At Haute Cabrière an unassuming sundial spells out Cabrière’s philosophy. The pillar of the sundial is inscribed with the words "Sun, Soil, Vine, Man". These words capture their core belief that wine is grown, not made, and that it is the intertwining of all four components that results in great wine. Pierre Jourdan Brut Sauvage is the most natural of all Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wines. Only the finest, first 200 litres of free-run juice are selected and no dosage is added, resulting in an elegant wine with no residual sugar after bottle fermentation. The cellarmaster describes it as ‘oyster dry’. The wine is a classic champagne blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. Chardonnay contributes elegance, Pinot Noir, intensity and richness.The bouquet is yeasty, the colour is pale biscuit, and the finest bubbles enliven the wine. A perfect accompaniment to oysters, calamari and fine fish. R105 per bottle

Topiary Brut Blanc de Blanc 2008 This MCC offers refreshing green apple and quince flavours with lingering yeastiness. Handmade from 100 % Chardonnay, it is bottle-fermented in the traditional classic method. R85 per bottle

Graham Beck Brut RosĂŠ Vintage 2008 Its great salmon pink colour makes this an extremely attractive wine. Pinot Noir provides ripe strawberry flavours and Chardonnay creamy complexity. An explosion of raspberry fruit together with fresh sherbet on the palate and a long, fine, creamy mousse complete the experience. R195 per bottle

Morena Brut 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, two years on the lees. Dry, crisp citrus flavours with a hint of tropical fruit. R90 per bottle

Colmant Cap Classique Brut Reserve

Showing a subtle, pale gold colour this wine has a clean and elegant nose. The aroma has a gentle spicy toastiness with a lemon / yeasty perfume, followed by more mature fruit. Lots of freshness on the palate, with good acidity, which perfectly balances the yeasty depth, bready flavours and ample structure. Long smooth finish. Will develop nicely over the years. R122 per bottle

Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2009 The Chardonnay component contributes the richness and backbone to the wine, while the Pinot Noir adds fruit and elegance with its characteristic hints of ripe red berries and a touch of spice. This wine, with its pale red copper tinge, is a unique combination in every aspect. And a wine made with care and commitment, the gentle oak maturation giving it the potential to age well if not enjoyed right now. R60 per bottle

Bellingham Chardonnay (with a splash of Viognier) 2008 Made from grapes handpicked at fantastic ripeness, this Chardonnay shows elegant varietal expressions. Complemented with a touch of barrel fermentation and lees contact, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s richly expressive with pronounced tropical pineapple, zesty tangerine, fragrant peach and lemon cream appeal. 1% Viognier adds intrigue. Best enjoyed slightly chilled with roast chicken, creamy risotto, grilled calamari and soft white cheese. R49 per bottle

Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2009 The classy Pinot Noir is ruby red in colour, with notes of cherry, wild red berries, crushed black pepper, cinnamon and violets on the nose. Although firm in structure and intense in flavour, textures are mellow and round, expanding with time to extraordinary opulence and length on the palate. It will reach its peak 5-8 years after release. R210 per bottle

Heaven

Itinerary

Helshoogte

Text: Helen Naudé, Siegfried Schäfer | Images © Tokara, Zorgvliet, Clouds, stockXchange, Boschendal

Facing page - Tokara Delicatessen / This page - Zorgvliet

Like stories, journeys have a beginning, a middle and an end, but when we travel, there inevitably is a last half hour before the end when the eagerness of arriving at the destination overshadows the possibly interesting detail next to the road. This is not good. When travelling to Franschhoek, avoid this trap and stretch your last half hour into an itinerary of a few hours by mapping your route from Stellenbosch through Helshoogte. Here’s our suggestion.

tart early, on an empty stomach. Pass the pretty Delaire entrance and make a note to wend your way up there next time. More about that gem in the autumn issue of Franschhoek Style. Now turn off at Clouds for breakfast. This boutique wine farm is one of those secrets that everyone knows about. It’s a family-run business with five-star accommodation and function facilities. The dining room stretches itself across the front of the Mediterranean-style villa and would lighten the mood of any nonmorning person. Do not be tempted to sink into a sofa and sip on coffee to raise your caffeine levels, breakfast is important and you could start immediately with fruit and cereal to get your blood glucose levels up. You’ll now be ready for your protein and should order gently poached eggs or an omelette, crispy bacon, toast and

must-have marmalade. While sipping your coffee, assess the suitability of the perfectly situated outside function area and pavilion for your next party, and admire the view of the Banhoek Valley from cloud level. After breakfast, backtrack to Tokara, skip the tasting room this time and go shopping at their scrumptious delicatessen. You will be tempted to wander around outside and inspect their rustic jungle gym and garden seating, but don’t linger too long. The shelves indoors need your attention. The products all but jump into one’s shopping basket, from the award-winning Tokara olive oil to bottles of preserved fruit and freshly baked goodies. You just know that the range of Really Brilliant Biscuits belongs in your pantry, and needs the company of the Baked Quince in Spicy Syrup and Cranberry Relish. The Dutch Apple Pie Jam is probably right up your street and

you will want to add some rosewater and melon preserve. A good idea is to pick up a frozen beef or chicken pie from the freezer, just in case. Back to the road at the tricky bend and turn east. Zorgvliet comes up on your left shortly, drive in and follow the farm lane to the tasting room. Time now to start tasting wine and finding out about a local legend. Try the Silver Myn range of wines. The name refers to a silver mine which wasn’t, in the Simonsberg Mountain above Pniel. It was a big fat lie perpetrated by a greedy soldier, called Frans Diederik Muller, who persuaded officers and residents to invest in a silver mine. The VOC government at the Cape was keen to have silver available, as it was a much sought-after commodity in international trade. Mining started in 1743. By 1749, and with no silver in sight,

heaven Muller’s fraud was exposed, he was kicked out and the mine closed down. As you leave, admire the beautiful view of the Simonsberg Mountain just above the tasting room. On now to the Hillcrest Berry Farm. Look out for the turn-off on your left down in the dip, up the hill like Jack and Jill and park in the parking area on the right where there are shady trees. Find an outside table and treat yourself to a berry juice. It’s from the estate, really fruity, and will be a revelation. Adjust your eyes to panoramic mode and admire the best view of the Drakenstein Mountains. A bit of shopping will do more good than harm and keeping to the theme, it’s mostly about berries and berry-related products. The new gooseberry liqueur is a must for any shopper with a halfdecent palate! Fresh berries, a jar of jam and some dried fruit are a quick and healthy buy. Make your way through Pniel village and refer to the book Pniel en Sy Mense for the wonderful story of this place and its people, written and published by the residents. Once through the village, slow down and turn in at Boschendal. The Cape Dutch architecture teamed with the mountain backdrop is pictureperfect. Watch out for the speed bumps as you head towards the manor house museum and restaurants. Pre-booked picnics are available, but today we opt for inside. A good choice in case of

Boschendal

Clouds Estate

windy weather. The restaurant is in the original wine cellar and is famous for its roasts, fresh salads, local cheeses and brandy snaps, served with the rest of the memorable dishes from a buffet table. There is also the option of the café in the building across the lawn, where light meals are served. Before you head for Franschhoek, taste your way around some of the estate’s wines. You have to drive along vineyards and past protea bushes to a different set of lovely Cape Dutch buildings. When you’ve settled down at the Cellar Door, ask for bubbly, the Grande Cuvée Brut 2006, to be specific. Another safe bet is the slightly wooded Chenin Blanc. If you are less inclined towards dry white wine, you should try the popular Le Bouquet, a blend with a fruity touch. Make sure the red wine drinkers in the party do not leave without tasting the 1685-range Shiraz. It’s one of those pride and joy wines. If you skipped lunch, you can order a cheese platter to go with your tasting. Cheese and wine under oak trees with a mountain keeping guard behind you and a farm stretching out before you will probably come up in your happy dreams from now on! You’re now good and ready for the last 15 minutes of your journey to Franschhoek. Turn right at the gate on to the R310 and then right on to the R45. You’re on your way.

Chris

Profile

Everson Text: Helen Naudé | Images © Chris Everson

Chris in Baghdad shortly after the overthrow of Saddam

I can’t wait for Chris Everson’s memoirs, so I can spoil myself with one of his stories every day. Chris is walking with a slight limp and stretches his left leg every now and then. He’s had a surgical procedure done on his knee. His last trip to Afghanistan was tough on his legs because the terrain in which he was working saw him knee-deep in mud, keeping up with Marines (“those guys are tough”), while carrying a camera on his shoulder. Something had to give.

hris is a cameraman for CBS News and goes all over the world recording news documentaries for their 60 minutes programme, which sees him spending a fair amount of time in war zones. He is also a farmer in Franschhoek, where he and his wife Su, grow grapes, plums and olives. As a teenager Chris had no idea what to do when he finished school. His ambition was limited to growing his hair, having a beer and buying a large motorbike. He grew up in Ixopo and, after matriculating there, moved to Durban where he found work as a forklift operator, crane driver and construction worker. Eventually he acquired a motorbike and rode off. He found himself in the thenRhodesia, with no money, so answered an advertisement for a television cameraman for Rhodesia Television. He was shown a television studio and knew immediately that that would be his world. He trained, he worked, and then the war came. He fought in the Rhodesian bush war and was shot and wounded in 1977. His recuperation took a year, but he eventually got back to doing camera work. In 1980 he was filming for news agency Visnews and got to know foreign journalists who were working in South Africa. When the local political scene became rich fodder for news channels in the 80’s, CBS News employed him as a staff cameraman. In 1985 he won his first Emmy award for his work on the tragic Trojan Horse incident. He’s still with CBS and has now collected 4 Emmy statues, 23 Emmy Certificates, a Dupont and various other awards. The work Chris regards as his most exciting was the shooting of a documentary in Afghanistan. This was during the Russian invasion in the early 80’s. He and his team spent two months in the mountains of Afghanistan with the Mujahideen, living with them and filming their campaign against the Russian forces.

The most frightening time was at the end of the Gulf war, when he and his sound man were captured by Iraqi bandits in Southern Iraq. They were robbed of all their possessions, including his camera and their vehicle, put up against a low wall and fired at ….. fortunately, badly. The low wall behind which they dived, saved them. He usually feels quite safe when he’s in trouble spots, Chris says. Whenever necessary, professional private security is hired for the team. He proves it with a photo of serious looking, fit young guys in combat gear. When the media are embedded with the armed forces they are afforded military protection. It also helps that he’s sensible. The first Chris Everson story I listened to was about filming rare birds which had never before been captured on film. His crew had to be airlifted to the top of the Foja Mountain range in Papua Indonesia to find the Sickle Bill and Bouwer Bird. No one had ever been there, except for the research scientist with them who’d discovered the two birds five years before. They were allocated twelve days on the mountain before being fetched

by helicopter. For eleven days, nothing happened …… no birds. On the very last day both birds appeared and Chris could film these exquisite creatures. He calls the experience a “real joy”. He says the most difficult thing he’s ever filmed was the funeral ceremony for 7 U.S. Marines who’d been killed by the Taliban in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. The rollcall, the upside down rifles, the empty boots, the tears. I imagine that people envy Chris his job. He says it’s for all the wrong reasons. His work is very tough and usually in places where nobody would want to be. It’s hard work and he enjoys nothing more than a glass of chilled Franschhoek bubbly after wrapping a tough shoot. He’s happiest under water, diving with his family, and yes, shooting under water is easier on the knees. He loves sitting on the couch on his verandah with Su, looking at their chardonnay vineyard and the mountains close by, just living the good life in Franschhoek.

Garden

Not-So-Secret

Garden Text & Images @ Siegfried Sch채fer

he garden at La Rive in Franschhoek is like an unopened bestseller. Situated in the hear t of the village, it is tucked between elegant Dirkie Uys Street and an historic graveyard, unseen by passers-by. Once a year, during the Franschhoek Open Gardens Festival, the gates to this grandly scaled cottage garden are opened for visitors to share in its floral richness.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you have a garden and a librar y, you have ever ything you need.â&#x20AC;? Marcus Tullius Cicero

Stepping into the garden from under the giant oaks that shade the driveway I can’t help but to think of the folk song English Country Garden. Just like the lyricist I find myself wondering, “How many kinds of sweet flowers grow in an English country garden?” A little bit of searching among the densely planted beds reveals no daffodils, but hear t’s ease and phlox tumble for th in great profusion. Roses and foxgloves are plentiful, but somebody seemed to have forgotten the forget-me-nots! In addition to the English classics there are also some indigenous classics. Plectranthus thrives in shady spots, while Zantedeschias and Agapanthus brighten up the mid levels of several beds. The garden makes a superb floral statement from early October and then grows into its full summer splendour. Iceberg roses brag with flush upon flush of flowers and the stately water oaks and planes having been pollarded in winter - show off their dense green attire. Columbines and jasmine attract nectar-seeking bees and butterflies.

While I stroll on the lawns that stretch their green to the prolific flowerbeds, the soundtrack is provided by a pair of Cape robin chats sitting on opposite sides of an arbour. My best attempts at imitation are greeted with a bemused tilt of their heads. The resident hadidahs are not particularly nonplussed either and simply move on to another part of the garden – thankfully without their customary screams! Through the gate to the ‘new garden’ I make more discoveries. This part of the garden is a touch more formal than the rest. Two circular patches of emerald lawn are mirrored in a circular koi pond, and a series of arbours span a bed of lobelias, pansies and white alyssum that lead the eye to a seat next to the river. Irises, vincas and ferns thrive beside the river’s cool meander. Time flies in such pretty surroundings and I wish I could linger a little while longer amid these floral beds of summer, but there is more to explore…

history

Passing Beauty Text: Siegfried Schäfer | Images © Huguenot Memorial Museum, Africana Museum Johannesburg, Siegfried Schäfer

When US President Richard Nixon said, "Only when you've been in the deepest valley can you know how magnificent it is to be atop the highest mountain," he was speaking metaphorically. His quote may however just as well be applied to the dramatic Franschhoek Valley and the high mountains that separate it from the Overberg.

Franschhoek Pass pre -1933

ountains have long been a challenge to those living in the Franschhoek Valley. Fortunately for Franschhoek’s early settlers it was possible to reach Cape Town without having to cross any mountains – nevertheless the journey still took several days. Reaching the Overberg (literally ‘over the mountain’) was another matter altogether. The only way over the Franschhoek Mountains was the ‘Oliphant’s Pad’. Created over many centuries by the annual migration of elephants from the Overberg to the valley, this rough narrow path was only good for hikers and horsemen. During the late seventeenth century, Dutch governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel had already identified the importance of the Oliphant’s Pad as a route to the Overberg. He recommended to his son Willem Adriaan (who succeeded him as governor) that the path be widened so wagons could traverse it. Almost a century was to pass though before the British colonial governor, the Earl of Caledon, finally gave permission for the construction of a formal pass in 1807. After much red tape, construction funds were finally allocated in 1818 and the construction put out to tender. The contract was awarded to Stellenbosch burgher Samuel Johannes Cats who completed the so-called ‘Cats se Pad’ in 1819. Cats's path was, putting it politely, rather rudimentary. Probably the most significant aspect of it was that it didn’t use the Oliphant’s path as its basis. Cats's path followed a more easterly

route up the foothills of what is now know as Middagkrans. Once it crested the saddle between the Franschhoek and Wemmershoek Mountains it followed the valley carved by the Du Toits River all the way to the Overberg. Difficult to pass from the beginning, through lack of maintenance, a few years later it was near impassable. On seeing the remnants of the Cats's path in 1828 the Cape’s newly appointed surveyor general, Charles Mitchell, commented, “It is indeed a subject of astonishment to all who contemplate the still uneffaced rude tracks over which the farmers used to drag their produce to the Cape Town market, that any wagon could ever reach the latter in an entire state.” Given Cats's Path’s sorry state Cape governor Lord Charles Somerset appointed Major William Cuthbert Holloway of the Royal Engineers in 1822 to head two commissions to investigate the feasibility of constructing a formal pass through either the Hottentots Holland or Franschhoek Mountains. The commission concluded that the Franschhoek option would be much cheaper and so the matter was settled. The Colonial Engineer’s Department surveyed the route that, like Cats's Pad, also followed the Du Toits River valley. Construction soon started on what was to become the first engineered pass in South Africa. Much of the labour was provided by 150 servicemen of the Royal Africa Corps who were idle in the Cape while awaiting

shipment to Sierra Leone. These men were not too happy with their conditions and named their campsite on the far side of the pass ‘Purgatory’ – a name it still carries. On the eastern side of the pass Holloway constructed the first stone-arch bridge in the country. Its 5-metre span crosses a kloof named Jan Joubert’s Gat, so named after a frontiersman who died there after an accident in which the draught pole of his wagon broke. This bridge was incorporated into later constructions and is still in use today! It was declared a National Monument in 1979. The pass was completed in 1825 at a cost of £8 390 – far more than was originally budgeted. For the next five years the Franschhoek Pass was the only formal route from the Cape to the Overberg. This however changed in 1830 when the then newly built Sir Lowry’s Pass over the Hottentot’s Holland Mountains became the shortest route from the Cape to the interior. In a superb testament to its quality the Holloway Pass lasted more than 100 years with only routine maintenance. It was only during the Great Depression in 1933 that a new pass was constructed as part of a major road building drive. Further improvements, including a bitumen surface, followed in 1958. Today the spectacular Franschhoek Pass is a popular route for sightseers, motorcyclists and even a few extreme skateboarders! Much of its beauty can however only be truly appreciated by getting out of your car. Don’t let it pass you by.

Franschhoek Pass with Jan Joubert’s Gat Bridge 1841

Drive

Drivingin

FranschhoekStyle

Text: Michele Lupini | Images © David Taylor

Road Test: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing

here was a scrum around the car every time we took it anywhere in Franschhoek. The turnover at Taki’s was up on the Friday evening we parked it outside, people came in just because the car was there. That’s the thing about the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, pop a door open and the next thing there’s a crowd. You have to fight off fans and sidestep conversation around it. Unless of course you like 24/7 celebrity status. It lives the legend brilliantly, harking back effectively to the original 300SL Gullwing,

the childhood dream of any sixties schoolboy. Now they can live that dream, they can own a Gullwing. You’re sure to make someone’s day when you open that door. The sight of the wing-door reaching up to the sky to reveal a beautiful cockpit thrills onlookers. Attention to detail of the Gullwing interior is of the highest order – a beautiful abundance of stitched leather, carbon finishes and aviation-inspired details everywhere. Mind your head on the way in and be prepared to learn how to get in or out.

It isn’t that simple! One foot needs to be firmly on the ground outside, then just slip your bum over the shiny carbonfibre sill and you’re in. Or out. One word of advice, fire it up before you close the door, it adds to the effect… With 420kW and 650Nm on tap, the 6.2-something-litre V8 literally explodes into life. Now reach up and pull the door down and check their faces! The SLS growls, roars and shouts like a God of Thunder. It burps and gurgles once you drive off. The mechanical

SUPERSTAR Breathtaking,seductive and explosive, the modern-day Mercedes Gullwing boasts celebrity status monster of a gearbox double de-clutches as though you’re Moss on the Mille Miglia. It’s called AMG Speedshift DCT 7-speed sports transmission and it's best dialled into S+ where there’s still a modicum of intervention but its 100-millisecond gear changes are happy to be controlled via the steering wheel paddles. The SLS drives smoothly enough in everyday traffic and is very comfortable. But the SLS AMG belongs on the open road, preferably a quiet and deserted open road. It’s fast, blindingly fast. OK, a new Porsche 911 Turbo gains a second to 100km/h, but that’s where it stays – that gap follows it right through the performance envelope, so with the exception of getting off the line, it’s just as quick as the car from around the corner in Stuttgart. At Franschhoek altitude it rushes to 100km/h in under 4 seconds and kills off the quarter-mile in less than 12 seconds and at over 200km/h – that in a normal road car, remember… On the road the SLS is truly supreme in the way it honours every driver input. Steering is direct but oh-so honest, the nose is obedient, deft and quick and the car follows through neutrally, as if on rails. Braking with its optional ceramic composite discs is exceptional. After 10 laps of Kyalami, the driver was tired long before the car. All in all, were I shopping in the twoand-a-half million Rand supercar league, I don’t think I’d even bother about anything else. Not only is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG ‘Gullwing’ a supreme set of wheels, but it’s also a showstopper of note – the thing to have right now. Nothing else comes close.

explosiv Road Test Results:

Vital Specs:

Acceleration:

Coast

Reef

0-60km/h

2.2 sec

420kW @ 6800rpm

0-100km/h

3.9 sec

4.1 sec

Torque:

650Nm @ 4750rpm

0-160km/h

7.8 sec

8.2 sec

Gearbox:

7-speed DCT Speedshift/RWD

0-180km/h

9.8 sec

10.0 sec

0-200km/h

11.8 sec

12.2 sec

Urban Fuel:

13.2l/100km

80-120km/h

3.0 sec

3.2 sec

Emissions:

308g/km

120-160km/h

3.6 sec

3.9 sec

Standing 1/4-mile

11.7s @ 203km/h

11.9s @ 198km/h

Standing 1000m

20.9s @ 262km/h

21.4s @ 256km/h

Engine:

6208cc V8 QOHC 32V

Power:

Warranty:

2-year/unlimited

Service Plan:

120 000km stepped from 60 000km

Maximum speed:

317km/h

Price:

R2 425 000

Kyalami Hot Lap:

1m54.6s; 137km/h

Franschhoek resident Michele Lupini publishes Cars in Action magazine - on shelves countrywide and online at www.carsinaction.co.za

Driving

POWER

LupiniPower, one of South Africa’s best-known car tuning names, has returned to the fray with a muchanticipated new 400kW Chevrolet SuperUte. Also on offer are two other surprise performance options – the 110kW Lupini Ford Fiesta and the 100kW Lupini Suzuki Swift. Based on the already impressive Chevy Ute SS, the 400kW 785Nm supercharged V8 (not unlike that from a Corvette ZR1) SuperUte is a bakkie with supercar credentials. It offers 4.5-second 0-100km/h acceleration, dramatic overtaking ability and monster elasticity. The enormously rapid machine is also more economical and greener than standard while remaining docile, gentle and easy to drive. SuperUte is the ideal demonstration of what Lupini products represent on a grand scale. Any vehicle optimised, not only benefits from marked improvements in performance, tractability and drivability, but its fuel economy, emissions and other vital characteristics affected by the tuning should all be improved. The warranty matches manufacturer plans while the products offer owners of new and existing cars an efficient turnkey tuning alternative. The SuperUte launch follows a year of pre-series testing, research and development – much of which took place in and around Franschhoek. With its proximity to Cape Town and easy access to everything from mountain passes to open road and gravel roads, Franschhoek has indeed become a popular proving ground for new cars.

Find out more about LupiniPower on the company’s new website www.lupini.co.za. Customer, dealer or manufacturer enquiries can be addressed to info@lupini.co.za.

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Living simply

Leafy Val de Vie Wine & Polo Estate sits pretty on the banks of the Berg River near Franschhoek. With broad open spaces, vineyards, lakes and world-class polo fields it’s a perfect setting for the good life.

ake your kids and dogs along when you go strolling on the estate. You could stay fit this way or you could clock in at the Lifestyle Centre. It has a well-equipped gym, tennis and squash courts, and 25-metre heated indoor swimming pool where Ryk Neethling has a swimming school. The horsey part of the estate includes everything you’d expect at a good equestrian centre with modern stables, paddocks, sand and grass exercise arenas and lunging rings. The Polo Pavilion overlooks one of two polo fields. You can have an easy lunch in The Polo Club restaurant, hang out with the polo players or enjoy a hoagie in the cigar bar. Val de Vie attracts singles and families alike because it offers not only the security

that we all treasure, but also the country life to which we all aspire. Tanja and Ricci Lewis built their dream home here. From the glass double front door to the garage door it is clear that no shor tcuts were taken here. Tanja implemented her design from the architectural stage. This means that every aspect of the elegant interiors speaks of careful planning. On entering the house you’ll find yourself under a crystal chandelier hanging in a double-volume space. Your focus will remain at rafter level as you feast your eyes on the two huge chandeliers with their white-on-white drum shades in the living area. The chandelier motif is craftily repeated in the cushions on the sofa below. Walls in taupe tones and white woodwork set the basic theme while glass,

crystal and mirrors are trademark Tanja touches. The Crema marfil at the fireplace in the living area gives texture to the colour scheme, which is picked up in the floor-to-ceiling silk curtains throughout. A bold touch is evident in the almost 2.5m high doors, 1.25m-wide kitchen counters, extra-high ceilings and huge windows. Clearly Ricci and Tanja love light. Light-coloured floors can be harsh and cold, but Tanja countered this with cleverly chosen metre-square nano white tiles. She says she likes the option of being able to throw rugs to create darker areas. The clean lines of the living area, are also evident in the kitchen area where white cupboard doors are flush and the uncluttered ceasar stone counters extend effortlessly to meet up with a wooden dining counter.

Repeated elements and symmetry are pleasing to the eye. Windows on either side of a big cupboard, feathered lamps in pairs, two Zakkie Eloff etches either side of the indoor gas braai. Barstools and dining room chairs both have black frames, and upholstery fabric is repeated in scatter cushions. The bed in the master bedroom has a floor-to-ceiling view of the estate’s vineyards and the Simonsberg in the distance. The ample dressing room is cunningly concealed behind the kingsized headboard and next to the bathroom with its unexpected black and white wallpaper. The bathrooms leading

off the family and guest rooms are pristinely white and have glass-panelled sliding doors reminiscent of shoji screens. When Tanja talks lighting she works her way through task lighting, mood lighting and ambient lighting and covers downlighters, standing lamps, reading lamps and blue lighting spilling from behind bulkheads. Should you be wondering, even she is surprised by how pleasant the effect of the blue striplighting is. Another pleasant surprise is the pool right next to the vineyard. It is an invitation to either relaxation or activity. You can find you own balance as you live the good life at Val de Vie.

Price R7.5m • Peter Wagenaar 082 55 333 96 • Office 021 863 6100/1 • peter.w@seeff.com • Web ref 220566

Goodbuys

Shopping

Text: Editorial Desk | Images ÂŠ Eddie Wilson - Foto Artist Studio, Elephant & Barrel, Franschhoek Tatler

Before the French Huguenots settled in Franschhoek, it was called Oliphantshoek. Elephants came and went via a welltrodden path over the mountains on the southern side of the valley.The last elephant and calf were seen leaving towards the end of the nineteenth century. Loxodonta africana may not live here anymore, but we fondly remember them in our coat of arms and in some of our place names. Franschhoek Style went hunting for elephants in the village.

R3 400

R105

R120 60

R225

Nickel-plated stainless steel elephant by Uwe Pfaff Edition 1/5, 39cm x 23cm EBONY, Huguenot St

Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clothing Body vest, shoes and pink elephant Beluga Bear The Ivy, c/o Huguenot & Kruger Streets

Raffia elephant African Art Gallery, Huguenot St

R155

R350

R89

5 4 7 4.

Tripod chair with pyrographic elephant design on leather seat Agussi Crafts August House, Huguenot St

Official Franschhoek flag 90cm x 60cm The Official Franschhoek Logo Store & Info Office, Huguenot St

Draught Beer Pale Ale (house ale) 500ml Elephant & Barrel Centre du Village, Huguenot St

Hot Metal cutlery with elephant head Salad servers and sugar spoon Made from mild steel 480mm x 235mm Time for Living, Huguenot St

Jewellery Box from Igugu line 8cm x 10cm Collectables by B Place Vend么me, Main Rd

R22

R460

R 14 5

R300

Fre

The Franschhoek Tatler Free every month, all over town

Caring

Good that peopledo

The

ou can’t teach a hungry child. The slogan hits hard and nobody argues. A solution had to be found. The Western Cape Education Depar tment and the Peninsula School Feeding Association are providing lunch at school in the middle of the day for disadvantaged learners. But what about the kids who star t the school day on empty tummies because there is no food at home? In Franschhoek this has changed through the effor ts of The Kusasa Project. They decided to break the morning fast and star ted The Kusasa Project Breakfast Club in July 2007. They now provide nutritious breakfasts, every school day, for 720 learners in Dalubuhle and Wes Eind Primary Schools. The Kusasa Project has a philosophy that children should learn to be of service not only to themselves, but also

to others, and challenged learners to apply this in the planning of The Breakfast Club. They did. You will find eight of these learners between the ages of eleven and four teen in the school kitchen, before school star ts, to help with breakfast. Ladies from the community, who are employed by the Education Depar tment to prepare lunch, receive a donation from The Kusasa Project to supervise breakfast. In 2009 The Kusasa Project Breakfast Club approached registered dietician, Karen Protheroe, to assess their breakfast menu. She says, “The menu was varied and nutritious but was lacking in animal protein, calcium, iron and the brain nutrients known as omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are found mainly in oily fish such as pilchards, sardines, mackerel and salmon and have been shown to be vital for brain development, memory, IQ and concentration in

children.” Margarine containing omega-3 fatty acids was then identified and added to the menu, to spread on bread and stir into oats porridge. Karen says foods rich in animal proteins are vital sources of many vitamins (vitamin B12 in par ticular) and minerals (iron and calcium in par ticular), as well as amino acids which help build muscles in children. Vegetarian diets are expensive, due to the fact that they need a lot of cheese, yogur t, milk, nuts, seeds, etc to provide balanced nutrition. These children eat mostly a vegetarian diet at home consisting of samp and beans, soya and mieliemeal which contain only small amounts of plant protein. The Breakfast Club has now added eggs to the menu which also includes milk, bread, oats crunchies with raisins, oats porridge, e’Pap and fruit. Good food for growing kids, provided because good people care.

Good Books

Reading

HOMING – Henrietta Rose-Innes (Umuzi) Review by Moira Lovell – Reviewer for the Witness (www.witness.co.za)

oming is a collection of fifteen skilfully written shor t stories by Henrietta Rose-Innes. Set in Cape Town and its environs, the stories highlight the situations of miscellaneous ordinary citizens as they engage with the present, confront their pasts and move - sometimes liberated, sometimes strengthened, sometimes altered - into the unwritten future. It is what is unwritten as much as what is written that gives these stories their strength and appeal. What is written is sensitive, concise, original (in both content and use of language); what is not written stimulates thought. Some of the protagonists are young, still learning the wiles and guile of the world: a would-be female writer, who hands her treasured manuscript to an established author with a notorious reputation; a little boy who witnesses a fleet-footed youth being pursued by knife-wielding thugs; a sixteen-year-old who finds himself out of his depth in a relationship. Some of the characters, who are weighted with emotional or psychological baggage, have experiences that unburden them: there is the young woman who is afraid she will inherit her mother's manic depressive condition; the man who has a childhood memory of dislodging a brick that kills a builder ; the teenager who refuses to talk about her ordeal during a burglary until she finds a corpse in the park; women who need to resolve the relationships they are in. In some stories the protagonists are older - in "Star", which cleverly fuses topical issues such as the Soccer World Cup and xenophobia, an elderly woman thinks she has found the missing black member of the French national squad and brings him home to nurse; in "Promenade", a fifty-four-year-old thinks he has achieved stasis (in terms of ageing) through a careful regimen of diet and exercising until the witnessing of an accident undermines his confidence. In the title story, "Homing", an older woman has a flir tation with adventure in a smar t new hotel before returning to house and husband like a homing pigeon. This is a collection of quality stories from a talented South African writer.

What better Christmas gift than a book which gives hours of pleasure – whether it’s a thriller, an intriguing new cookbook or an exciting storybook to carry kids away on the wings of imagination? Planning is in full swing for the 2011 Franschhoek Literary Festival. All the events take place in the village centre, so this a festival of busy streets as people hurry between the venues and quiet periods leavened by laughter as they listen to lively discussions or browse through the array of books in the Town Hall. In the evenings the wine flows and Franschhoek’s many restaurants welcome diners who will often spot a well-known author at the next table. The FLF is a unique cultural fiesta in one of the world’s most beautiful valleys, and it has a serious purpose: mostly voluntary workers enable funds to be raised every year towards a new community library. Book-lovers should put the dates in their diaries: 13 – 15 May 2011. Cape Town writer Henrietta Rose-Innes, winner of the 2008 Caine Prize for African Writing, will be there… – Jenny Hobbs, FLF Director

culture

Art

Good

So u t h A f r i c a n L a n d s c a p e A r t

Ebony

This place is falling apart, 2010 - Olaf Bisschoff

The modernistic drive from the pastoral and somewhat quaint romantic landscapes of the more traditional was markedly noticeable from the 1950s onwards. Although Pierneef, Maggie Laubser and to an extent Maud Sumner had a particularly unique South African style, many artists had to date typified the more romantic European ideal. The experimental and abstract landscapes of Cecil Skotnes, Fred Schimmel, Hannes Harrs, Gordon Vorster and Erik Laubscher brought about a sea change and helped to create a uniquely South African context. Current contemporary classic artists such as John Meyer, Harold Voigt and Mdudzi Xakaza have refined the approachable South African landscape, whereas the works of Johan Louw and technical brilliance of Olaf Bisschoff have continued to excite the collector.

Huguenot Memorial Museum Pieter Hugo Naudé was born on a farm near Worcester. He attended Franschhoek High School for a number of years and later matriculated at Worcester High School. He was the first South African artist to study overseas (in London, Germany, Paris and Italy) before settling in Worcester. He was the first Impressionist in South Africa. Initially he used European colours, but gradually developed his own technique through trial and error, to capture the South African light and colour. This painting is a small work done in one sitting, a technique he learnt working with the Barbizon group at Fontainebleau in 1895. Painted in 1934, it was given to the owner of the farm as a wedding gift by the artist.

La Cotte Wine Cellar, 1934 - Hugo Naudé (1868 - 1941)

La Motte Museum This remarkable painting, created by Pierneef in 1945, is entitled Lowveld Mica, Eastern-Transvaal. This work, in oil, depicts a scene of the two subjects most nurtured by Pierneef – trees and his favourite province, the Lowveld (now Mpumalanga). His renderings of landscapes and trees reveal his special affection for nature, expressed with the greatest intuition. With exceptional skill, Pierneef also captured the light effects and cloud compositions peculiar to Africa, unlike anything he encountered in Europe. Pre-eminently the master of landscape painting, Pierneef created his art in the less rigid Impressionist style that allowed him to let elements such as simplification of line and colour capture the essential quality. Ultimately, he will be remembered for his unique, personal way of expressing the African landscape – always recognised as unmistakably Pierneef.

Lowveld Mica, Eastern-Transvaal, 1945 - Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (1886 - 1957)

Gallerie L'Art Conrad Theys was born in Montagu in 1940 and grew up in Loeriesfontein. He trained as a teacher before turning his attention to studying art. From 1969 to 1972 he trained and worked under the mentorship of Gregoire Boonzaaier. He was his only pupil. He embarked on a full-time art career and continued his studies at the Ruth Prowse School of Art in Cape Town under the tuition of Edwine Simon. Theys works in oil, pastel, watercolour, ink-wash, pencil, charcoal and a variety of graphic media. His art has been included in a number of local and international collections. Quiver Trees Early Summer, 1991 - Conrad Theys

The Ceramics Gallery The Ceramics Gallery in Dirkie Uys Street is also the studio and home of ceramics graduates David Walters and his wife Michelle. Both David and their daughter Sarah’s work is influenced by their natural surroundings, Sarah in the details of leaves and flowers, birds and chameleons in the Roubaix House garden; David with the broader sweep of local mountains and valleys, and in the marks left by man upon the land. The refreshed gallery space now sells the work of artists Ralph Johnson, Christo Giles, Sue van Rensburg and John Wilhelm. A variety of techniques can be seen on the works available, as the artists make functional as well as beautiful original porcelain pots, dinnerware, white stoneware, Raku, earthenware and pit-fired objects.

Landscape design on ceramic vase, 2010 - David Walters

Franschhoek Style Property Luxurious Lifestyle Small Holding Franschhoek Price R21 500 000 Seeff Franschhoek Jeanine Allen 082 410 6837 jeanine@seeff.com Office 021 876 4592 Web Ref 219 859

This is a rare opportunity to acquire an acclaimed designer's property in an incredible setting. Klein Kastaiing is peacefully nestled on the banks of the Kastaiing River and offers panoramic views of the Franschhoek Valley and surrounding mountains. The accommodation consists of a spacious modern 630mÂ˛, three-bedroom main villa and a separate two-bedroom cottage. In addition to this, there is a state-of-the-art I-beamed 303mÂ˛ conservatory. Streaming with light and affording scenic views from its expansive glass doors and windows, this tasteful architectural masterpiece currently serves as a sought-after, income-producing wedding and function venue that can seat up to 120 guests. Both the villa and function venue are privately positioned on the stream with mature oaks to harmonise with the natural environment. The conservatory boasts two fireplaces, a practical, well-equipped kitchen, with a storeroom and sufficient bathroom facilities for guests as well as a private cellar below and separate staff facilities. A liquor licence is also included. The main villa has floor-to-ceiling windows enabling a wonderful interplay between contemporary indoor and outdoor living. The kitchen/diner is the perfect entertainment space. It opens onto a patio with a pizza oven and swimming pool area with a large tiered sun deck. En suite bedrooms are generous while the lavish main bedroom has its own fireplace and exquisite bathroom. Offset from the entrance is a spa-style massage room for the ultimate in relaxation and to top it all there is the expansive roof deck - ideal to appreciate the views of vineyards, lavender and mountains. The quaint two-bedroom cottage is separate from the villa with a private garden and Merlot vines. It is ideal for guests, brides or as a manager's cottage. This truly is a spectacular property (with-income earning ability) affording an unsurpassed lifestyle in this most beautiful valley.

Amongst the Olives & Vines Franschhoek Price R7 875 000 Seeff Franschhoek Melina Visser 082 419 9928 melina@seeff.com Office 021 876 4592 Web Ref 215 388

This well-positioned stylish home, set in a lush vineyard and olive estate, offers the discerning buyer three en suite bedrooms and a large sunny private courtyard with a solar-heated swimming pool with special effects lighting system. Enter into a spacious double volume lounge and entertainment area with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Swedishstyleâ&#x20AC;? log fireplace. An expansive veranda (with frameless glass doors and solar blinds for afternoon sun protection) leads off the lounge and offers stunning mountain, garden and vineyard views. The well-equipped kitchen with granite counter tops has a separate large scullery with ample storage space. There is a guest toilet, cloakroom, separate laundry room, staff toilet and shower. Other features include full air conditioning, alarm system, underfloor heating in all main rooms and bathrooms, TV points throughout (including verandas) and a central vacuuming system and double garage.

Relaxed Winelands Living Val de Vie Estate Price R7 500 000 Seeff Franschhoek Peter Wagenaar 082 553 3396 peter.w@seeff.com Office 021 863 6100/1

Class and elegance abounds in this double volume home, that has been designed to entertain. Beautiful finishes and attention to detail in every aspect of this executive Winelands home on Val de Vie with staff accommodation. Centralised aircon and UFH. Includes four generous bedrooms with crisp white bathrooms, expansive open living areas, a purpose-built bar and grill area, fold-away frameless glass doors to the splash pool - designed with flair for entertaining!

Franschhoek Tourism Members Directory

A co n v e r s a t i o n b e t w e e n O l d Y e a r a n d N e w Y e a r NY: And now the end is near… OY: Heaven help us, 2011 is a Sinatra fan! NY: Mama Mia, here we go again… OY: ABBA! Where do you get the old stuff from? NY: My folks. My mom was A Year in Provence and my dad was The Year of Living Dangerously. OY: Two unstable parent years and yet you took the trouble to be born and bring us a brand new year. Not that we need ill-bred progeny. NY: Of course you need me, you need a new year! My year is 2011! 2011, nice and neat, ones and a two and a zero. I could do a binary code if I lose the 2. OY: Boring number, no aesthetic appeal, nothing! It does not even have rhythm, the 0 keeps on getting in the way. I, of course, have a good balanced number, nice bit of alliteration and very pleasing to the eye, good association… NY: It’s ‘cause you had the soccer thing, easy-peasy. By the way, what’s with the Soccer World Cup run by Fifa? It’s not Fisa, there’s no “s” for soccer in Fifa, it’s “f ” for football. OY: Well, it’s all football, soccer is association football. NY: As if anybody understands what you mean. A-ny-bo-dy. Not that I care, because I will have the Rugby World Cup! Laduuuuma!

OY: It’s not laduma, it’s … well never mind. But rugby is football too, rugby football. Your World Cup is going to be in New Zealand for Pete’s sake, nobody goes there. It’s 2 cold, wet islands, with a long white cloud and a haka. Seen one haka seen ’em all. NY: Scares the living daylights out of other teams when they get going… OY: Beats me! Why don’t they just laugh? NY: They don’t laugh because they’re not happy! There’s nothing sadder than a man realising he doesn’t have a war dance of his own. OY: Yes, the non-dancing team does look a bit sheepish really. NY: Say anything about that par t of the world and the next thing someone mentions sheep! OY: Ewe said it! NY: You sound tired 2010, you look tired, taaaaiyerd, veeeer y ta… O: Oh yes, I’m tired, in fact I’m exhausted, I’m knackered, je suis fatigué. NY: Yeah, yeah, so what are you going to do now? What do old years do after Auld Lang Syne? OY: I’m going for anti-ageing treatment. NY: That stuff ’s poison! They poison your wrinkle muscles so they don’t work anymore, then you look scary and bloated and can’t show emotion. Are you mad????

OY: Oh grow up! NY: No! I don’t want to grow up, that’s the first step to becoming old and grey! OY: You see! But there is the advantage of experience and wisdom. NY: You could do with some wisdom and not tr y to be young when you’re actually old. I mean really! OY: Botox does not kill and is not the only thing used in anti-ageing treatment, there’s… NY: There’s more???? OY: Yes, there’s more! There’s hormonal treatment, surger y, fillers, meso therapy, derma roller, PRP and ... NY: Eish, it sounds sore and messy! What’s PRP? That’s that plasma-stem-cell OY: injection thing that they do in Franschhoek. NY: Needles! Double eish! Why do you want to look like what you aren’t? You’re still the same age. That stuff doesn’t make you younger, it just makes you look younger, right? Why can’t you just be happy with your so-called wisdom? OY: That my friend, is the first prize, looking good and knowing better.

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