Visiting La Motte, guests can enjoy the artwork of renowned South African artist, JH Pierneef in the La Motte Museum and Tasting Room and even on the estate's premium range of wines! But who was Pierneef and how did his name and famous black and white linocuts end up on La Motte? Jacob Hendrik Pierneef Jacob...

Getting back to basics – it is the food trend for 2014. Join us from 13 to 15 June and get down to the fundamentals of cooking at this year’s Cook Franschhoek. Cook Franschhoek is an annual event that celebrates the Franschhoek lifestyle and love for food. Whether you are a novice in the kitchen...

Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant has appointed a new Chef de Cuisine. On 1 May 2014, Michelle Theron, who has been part of the restaurant since it opened its doors in 2010, took over the reigns as Executive Chef from Chris Erasmus who has resigned to pursue the dream of his own restaurant. Passionate about...

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...