As you drive up the long avenue leading into the town, there’s Hollywood-style lettering across the mountain backdrop announcing your arrival into ‘Franschhoek’. With its quaint thatched cottages, village markets and pastoral hillsides, Franschhoek doesn’t scream Hollywood but this is, in fact, one of the most glamorous postcodes in South Africa.
The picturesque wine route of Franschhoek is a hideaway for some of the Cape’s top restaurants and hotels, and Mont Rochelle is counted as one of them. Although now known as the outpost of serial-entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, Mont Rochelle has a long history that is entwined with the history of Franschhoek as a wine valley.
A brief history of Franschhoek & Mont Rochelle
As you might guess from the name, Franschhoek means ‘French corner’ in the local Afrikaans dialect. It was actually renamed, or translated, into Dutch and then Afrikaans from the original name in French, ‘le Coin Français’, which is what the Huguenot settlers who populated this mountainous region in the late 17th century called it.
Walking around Franschhoek today you’ll see a mixture of Dutch influences (as you do over most of the Cape) alongside French ones. Road names like La Provence, Hermitage and Bordeaux might ring a bell for wine lovers, and each year the town celebrates Bastille Day as a nod to their transcontinental heritage.
It was also a French settler, Jacques de Villiers, who, in 1688, established the Mont Rochelle estate, which included vineyards. The estate passed hands a few times over the next three centuries, some of them French, but there were also German and notably Rwandan hands, after telecomms billionaire Miko Rwayitare purchased it in 2001, making Mont Rochelle the first black-owned wine estate in South Africa. This landmark is celebrated in Mont Rochelle’s wine portfolio, as the top wine is named Miko after the previous owner.
From one entrepreneur to another: Sir Richard Branson bought Mont Rochelle in 2014 and it now joins a luxury league of hotels in the Virgin Limited Edition collection. The timing of Branson’s investment also reflects the surge in investment in Franschhoek as it became one of the most desirable weekend destinations for people in Cape Town. As Franschhoek’s star has risen, so has Mont Rochelle’s.
Experiencing Mont Rochelle
In a privileged spot in the valley, the Mont Rochelle estate overlooks the town below and sits up high on the hills with stunning panoramic views. Spread over 36 hectares, some 14 of them are dedicated to wine production (although most of the vineyard is undergoing replanting at the moment in a bid to better marry the soil with the grape variety).
Mont Rochelle is a reasonably big name in the valley, but in fact the winery is one of the smaller producers in Franschhoek. A tour of the boutique winery (chandeliers included) is quick, leaving plenty of time to imbibe in the Country Kitchen where wine flights can come accompanied by full meals or paired nibbles, an option I chose on my recent visit:
The real highlight of Mont Rochelle, though, is experiencing the luxury hotel. There are 22 rooms hidden away at this property, each with their own garden patio or balcony, giving you plenty of privacy to enjoy the views at sunset and sunrise with a glass of wine from your complimentary (and fully stocked) mini bar. You’ll have to venture out of your room to get the full gourmet experience at the Miko restaurant, where delicious Cape ingredients like kudu and snook are on the menu alongside international cuisines, in a fusion of flavours so typical of the Cape. Over a hundred wine labels from around Franschhoek valley and further afield are also on the wine list, including Mont Rochelle’s own estate-produced wines.
During the day, a plethora of garden games, a floodlit tennis court and a dreamy heated outdoor swimming pool leave plenty of options for downtime around the estate. If you want to explore further afield, the pretty town of Franschhoek is right on your doorstep and just beyond it lie countless nature trails in the nearby nature reserve and hillsides.
On return to Mont Rochelle, there’s an Africology spa to help any muscular tension melt away. As a serious wine connoisseur, I couldn’t miss the chance to try their grape stem facial… I’m used to wine therapy from the inside, but having invigorating wine therapy from the outside was quite an experience. Over an hour of pampering, massage and scrubbing helps rejuvenate the complexion and leave you fresh-faced and serene. It’s the perfect antidote to an overindulgent lunch or dinner at the restaurant the night before…
My visit to Mont Rochelle was in association with Wine Paths: offering luxury and exclusive wine tours and experiences in wine regions around the world. You can book your own visit online here.
