Linen is one of the oldest textiles in the world. Made from the fibres of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum, the manufacturing of linen is a labour-intensive process. The result is, however, a versatile and valuable product which the ancient Egyptians even used as currency! The Farm Shop at La Motte now offers a bigger...

With our commitment to the preservation of culture and heritage, not only does the La Motte Museum currently host an exhibition of some prime examples of historic Cape furniture, but on Thursday, 15 May, we will also host acclaimed expert in South African cultural history, Professor Matilda Burden who will present a talk on the...

In the last decade La Motte has been very focused on creating a specific style of wine with which the brand can be associated. With the exceptional quality of Shiraz grapes available and both CEO Hein Koegelenberg and Cellarmaster Edmund Terblanche passionate about this variety, Shiraz has become a strong focus of La Motte, with...

Plants with their own GPS coordinates? Yes indeed! The fan leave aloe or aloe plicatilis is regarded as one of South Africa’s botanical treasures and those growing on the foothills of the Wemmershoek mountain on La Motte, have their own GPS coordinates! The aloe plicatilis is a very rare type of aloe, only found in...

The history of the development of mayonnaise is uncertain. Anne Willan gives a plausible explanation for the origins of mayonnaise in her book, Great Cooks and Their Recipes, where she reasons that it originated in France as the name could have come from the Old French for egg yolk (moyeu). Homemade mayonnaise is delicious and...

Vegetable soup has been part of Cape cuisine since the first Dutch settlers arrived here in 1652. Different vegetables, sometimes with and often without meat or bacon, were used to prepare this soup. As was the custom 300 years ago when meat was omitted from soup, olive oil is used and the soup is thickened with finely...

Try this quick and delicious recipe from our Cape Winelands Cuisine cookbook – it is perfect for breakfast, brunch or lunch! Many versions of bacon tart appear in old cookbooks. All the recipes are basically a variation on a salty ‘bread pudding’ made from egg custard, bread and breakfast bacon or ham. This recipe is...

Lamb is such a core ingredient in South Africa and it has been so since the earliest days. Within a few years of Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival at the Cape, there were enough sheep to supply the population with all the mutton they needed. O.F. Mentzel, a German soldier who came to the Cape in...

La Motte has always been committed to the preservation of our heritage, culture and art. To further this focus, a series of very interesting talks has been introduced. The upcoming programme includes: Taste the Terroir Thursday, 10 April 2014 Taste the difference between 2014 Sauvignon Blanc from various areas – fresh from the tanks with...

On Saturday, 15 March the 2014 AfrAsia Bank Cape Wine Auction raised R7 045 million for education in the Cape Winelands. The charities benefiting from this event are the Pebbles Project, the MAD Charity and the Click Foundation.The La Motte and Francois Pienaar lot on auction consisted of: an exclusive Shiraz tasting with La Motte...