Day four in Franschhoek started a little sluggishly. It was raining hard at Glenwood, where I’d been staying, so a 3 am bedtime plus the precipitation put paid to rather ambitious plans to run a 10 k in beautiful settings.
I had an interesting day ahead. I started off with breakfast in town, followed by a tasting and lunch at La Petite Ferme, which in addition to being one of the best restaurants in the valley, is also a beautifully situated wine farm. Mark Dendy-Young (top) was a great host, and I enjoyed his Sauvignon Blanc and unoaked Chardonnay (a Robertson wine): they are also beautifully packaged, with labels designed by his wife.
The afternoon was spent with the AGP guys. AGP stands for Appellation Grand Prestige, and it’s a new attempt to define the best wines of the Franschhoek Valley. It’s long and somewhat controversial story that I’ll need to save for another day, but I had a lot of fun with Craig (Stony Brook), Clayton (Môreson) and Rob (Haut Espoir), as we visited each of their farms tasting the top AGP wines and also some of their own. There was some drinking, too. It was a memorable afternoon.
This was then capped by a brilliant dinner at Foliage. Such an impressive restaurant. After a quick one at the pub, I went home happy.
1 Comment on In Franschhoek day 4, Petite Ferme, the AGP guys, and Foliage
Hi Jamie – thanks so much for sharing! We’re heading to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch this fall for a few days and are trying to figure out WHICH wineries and restaurants to visit with just a few days in the area! We were looking at Le Petite Ferme for lunch (sounds like your experience was a good one) and Foliage for dinner, but there are so many great options. Would love any of your faves/standouts for two days of dining in Franschhoek!