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,...

Summer in the Cape Winelands easily sees temperatures in the late thirties and even early forties and a well-chilled glass of wine, is just the answer to the heat. But does serving your wine at a really low temperature affect the taste? Renowned wine expert, Jancis Robinson says: “It is impossible to over-estimate the effect of serving...

The harvest at LaMotte has started and as per our annual tradition we came together for a Blessing of the Harvest, just as the first grapes arrived in the cellar. We also invite our visitors to celebrate this special time of the year with us with a tour, talk and taste of the harvest. Beautiful...

We recently introduced the 2009 vintage of our signature Hanneli R wine of which a mere 3 900 individually numbered bottles were released. 2009 is regarded as having been an extraordinary vintage in South Africa and La Motte Cellarmaster Edmund Terblanche explains why he regards 2009 as arguably the best vintage the past ten years....

So you received this special bottle of wine for Christmas and you managed to get through January without opening it. Now you know you are serious about laying it down for maturation. Here are a few pointers as to the ideal conditions for maturation: Make sure that the wine lends itself to maturation. This is...

To celebrate the wonder of harvesting wine grapes, La Motte has introduced a Harvest Tasting which will introduce guests to all facets of this special time in the Winelands. Join us for a Harvest Tour and Tasting from Tuesday to Friday, from 4 February and while the harvest is underway and do not miss the...

Inspired by La Motte’s owner Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg; an internationally renowned mezzo-soprano, La Motte’s close association with classical music is celebrated by a programme of monthly classical music concerts presented in the beautiful Historic Cellar on the estate. An impressive line-up of both local and international artists will perform in the upcoming months with a programme...

There was a time when Chardonnay was almost the brand name for white wine, a time when a white wine drinker, was a Chardonnay drinker. Then it changed and for a while Chardonnay was not the popular choice anymore, in fact when selecting a white wine, there was an ABC rule – Anything But Chardonnay....