I have visited California a few times over the last two decades but never had a chance to explore Napa County, which is located north of San Francisco and is an area known for its vineyards and wine.
During our time in South Africa in June 2023, however, my wife and I had the chance to spend a couple of days in what you might call their Napa Valley.
South Africa is well known around the world for its wine and vineyards much like California is in the United States. We spent our first week in and around Cape Town, a city that is also known for its vineyards.
After a week in the big city, however, we decided it was time for a road trip to explore some of the Western Cape’s smaller towns and their vineyards.
Jen and I don’t drink wine often but we do enjoy a glass every now and then. Our two-day excursion took us to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, two lovely towns that I could have spent more time in because of the idyllic countryside whose beauty is second to none.
We stopped at the Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch for lunch about an hour after leaving Cape Town. This vineyard is the biggest in the area. Multiple buildings are located around the vineyard, including several restaurants. It was a nice place to explore for a couple of hours.
We passed at least a dozen more vineyards once we left Stellenbosch and drove another 45 minutes to Franschhoek.
Our small hotel in Franschhoek was located right off the town’s main street. From the balcony, we had stunning views of the surrounding mountains. It was raining when we arrived, but the clouds had cleared by dusk as the view of the nearby mountains improved.
We spent most of our time in Franschhoek, a town that means “French Corner” in Dutch.
Franschhoek is one of the oldest towns in South Africa. The French Huguenot refugees fled from France and settled in the area in the late 1600s.
In 2022, Time Magazine named Franschhoek as one of the Top 50 places in the world to visit.
After spending just two days there, I can see why it placed so high. From the farms and vineyards to the restaurants and shops, Franschhoek is the perfect place to escape to for a few days — especially if you have been in a big city for too long.
We spent part of a day exploring the Babylonstoren Wine Estate. We enjoyed breakfast at its farm-to-table restaurant and spent the next two hours touring the estate’s extensive grounds and massive gardens that had everything from trees full of oranges to lettuces and other leafy vegetables.
We visited a couple more vineyards in the area and enjoyed learning about each place and sampling some of the food and wine — once again, the food and drink is second to none.
By the time we returned to our hotel, we were eager to see more of Franschhoek. We spent the rest of the day exploring the town on foot and visiting a myriad of stores.
The town and stores were not nearly as busy as they would have been had we been there during South Africa’s high season — November to March. Personally, I’ll take the smaller crowds even if it means the chance for rain is a bit higher than during the high season.
If you’re a fan of small towns and vineyards, consider exploring some of South Africa’s gems such as Franschhoek. Our two days did not disappoint, and I’m already looking forward to a return visit.
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