Today we are touring the Frankschhoek wine region and Taryn has reserved what look to be excellent tastings.
Our first stop is just outside of the village at the Klein Goederust Estate. Klein Goederust is one of the few black owned wineries in South Africa. It was purchased by the son of a long-time farm worker. Great story. They have a wide range of offerings but are especially known for their Methode Cap Classic ( MCC) (think champagne). Their MCC is named after the son’s mother (Nomoroma) who worked in the wine cellar for 37 years. The estate sits in a beautiful setting. Unfortunately, a mowing crew was working right near the outdoor tasting room and kinda spoiled the ambience.
A short drive down the road is the Paserene Winery. Paserene has a very modern feel with gardens and statuary on the grounds. Again, some spectacular views.
For lunch we dined at La Petit Ferme. The estate sits high in the mountains with views overlooking the village of Franschhoek and the valley. Just a spectacular setting. We’ve been looking forward to this stop for quite a while. Aside from their world-class wines, they are recognized as one of the top restaurants in South Africa. We sure weren’t disappointed. Mary had ‘Potato Gnocchi with Seasonal Vegetables’ and Dick the ‘Karoo Lamb’, each paired with an appropriate wine.
Dick has really wanted to stop at one of South Africa’s finest micro-breweries, Soul Barrel. Soul won the ‘Best Beer in Africa’ in 2022. The head brewer, Nick Smith, was onsite and had a nice chat with Dick. Taryn organized a tasting of Soul’s five (!) IPAs for Dick. Good choice! In the same set of buildings is an outlet for ‘Painted Dog Winery’. Their wines had been featured at many of the restaurants we’ve visited. Mary had a glass of wine from their shop. Their labels are pretty cool.
After returning to the Avondrood we decided dinner was in order and our concierge was able to secure reservations at the Hussar Grill some two blocks down the road. Taryn had recommended the place. Even though Hussar is a chain, it has a nice menu, focused on grilled meat and good wine. Very good and worth a return.