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...

The eagerly-anticipated annual Cape Wine Auction takes place this weekend. The highlight of this glamorous occasion is tomorrow’s luncheon event when exclusive winelands experiences and exceptional wine collections will be on auction.Click here for the complete list of auction lots. The La Motte Wine Estate and Francois Pienaar lot on auction, consists of: A tasting...

It is harvest-time in the Winelands – surely the most exciting time of the year on a wine farm. More than wine, harvest-time also offers grapes and must – two lovely seasonal ingredients to cook with. Last year we shared the story of must – its ancient history and how it has probably been introduced...

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: Fynbos in Franschhoek Thursday, 13 March 2014 Protecting the environmental heritage is a high priority at La Motte and includes the protection of...

Late summer in the Cape Winelands offers a bounty of fruit and therefore the traditional cuisine of the area uses fruit in all kinds of ways – in desserts, pastries, confectionery, salads… Pierneef à La Motte restaurant’s late summer menu celebrates the season with a light and playful festival of summer fruit in delicious dessert...

Jan van Riebeeck planted the first melons at the Cape. In the Netherlands and later at the Cape, the fruit was served thinly sliced and eaten with salt and sometimes with pepper. As an interesting aside, the first melons harvested at the Cape were quite small and, in 1659, Jan van Riebeeck declared that a...

Wentelteefjes (or French Toast) with dried fruit compôte. From our Cape Winelands Cuisine cookbook (page 27). This dish can be traced back more than 2000 years to a Roman chef called Apicius, who cooked for the aristocracy during the time of Christ. Where and when the name French toast was created is uncertain; however, it...

A piece of antique furniture can cause various reactions. Certainly the initial reaction would be based on the aesthetics – the instinctive attraction or dislike. But being antique the next thought would probably be about the history of the piece. With its commitment to the preservation of culture and heritage, not only did La Motte,...