Franschhoek Wine Industry
Franschhoek's wine producing history began with a few simple words jotted down in Jan van Riebeeck's journal in February of 1659. On this auspicious day in history, the commander and founder of the initial Dutch settlement at the foot of Africa that would one day become Cape Town wrote: "Today, praise be to God, wine was pressed for the first time from Cape grapes."
During the 18th and 19th centuries South African wines were among the most coveted and famous in the world. In 1688 land was granted to a group of French Huguenot refugees by the Dutch government in a valley called Olifantshoek ("Elephant's Corner"), so named because of the large herds of elephants that populated the area. This fertile piece of land was subsequently renamed Franschhoek ("French Corner") and many of the settlers named their farms after the areas in France from which they came. They soon realised that the mild weather of this fertile valley was similar to that of the wine producing regions of France and they set out to recreate the lush vineyards back home. The rest, as they say, is history.
Established over 300 years ago, the rich Franschhoek wine tradition never the less succeeds in staying ahead of the curve by employing innovative techniques and creating surprising, yet elegant vintages. One of the most telling examples of this innovative spirit of the South African wine industry has to be the pioneering spirit of Professor Izak Perold, who, in 1925, created South Africa's signature grape variety, Pinotage. A cross between Pinot Noir and Hermitage, this grape variety typically produces deep red wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavours, sometimes surprising the palate with subtle notes of bananas and tropical fruit.
The Franschhoek Valley remains one of the premier destinations in the wine world. Crowding around the quaint village of Franschhoek, an excess of 40 wine farms (which includes some of South Africa's most respected household names) produce many of the country's top wines. Visitors from all over the world flock to Franschhoek hotels and a visit to the Western Cape region simply wouldn't be complete without spending some time sampling the fruits of the Franschhoek vineyards.