By Chris Moerdyk
It must surely be one of Africa's most beautiful valleys. And one of the richest. It doesn't have any gold mines, platinum deposits nor oil wells. But, if you take the combined wealth of all the people who live in Franschhoek and add to that all the breathtakingly delicious wine in its myriad cellars, you will probably end up with enough money to buy Sandton. Okay, Roodepoort, then.
It's only an hour out of Cape Town and surrounded on all sides by mountains and an aura of tranquillity that inexorably enters your soul as you drive over the Helshoogte pass. It is guaranteed to leave you with a feeling of good cheer and more than just a touch of diminished responsibility.
Franschhoek is a cosmopolitan dorp that looks and feels very much as though it was imported from the Auvergne region of central France, spruced up and then bought by a Francophile Englishman who gave everything Franglais names and then cordially invited the Germans to come in and set up home as well.
It is a hoighty-toighty place in the nicest possible sense. Even the street urchins address you in French and German when asking if they may look after your car. Now that is what I call pushing posh to the extreme.
Franschhoek is also the food and wine capital of South Africa. Well, that's what they claim and, anyway, you won't find me disputing it because I have always found both absolutely superb. And, as a result, I have become quite biased and somewhat obsessive about delving deeper and deeper into its cellars and restaurants in search of something even more delectable. It is not easy, but by heaven it's fun trying.
My last trip to Franschhoek was on Valentine's Day. The idea was to impress my wife, while at the same time assuaging my hunger for some extraordinary nosh and an overwhelming desire to achieve both these goals with the help of a thoroughly self-indulgent and decadent red wine.
We chose the Dieu Donne restaurant on the mountainside to the west of the village. Even for a hard-nosed, geriatric cynic like me it proved to be a multi-faceted experience. I fell in love with my wife again, and with the restaurant and its panoramic views over the valley and village. And I fell in love with Jo van Staden, the chef patron of Dieu Donne, with a penchant for culinary miracles and a personality like champagne.
I really did want to take her home but was dissuaded not so much by my wife - who thought it a jolly idea - but by remembering that Jo's husband, Gerard, is executive chef of Relais Gourmand and Le Verger restaurants on the other side of the valley.
Accompanied by a superb 2003 Dieu Donne Shiraz, we tucked into starters and main courses of exquisite delicacy and subtlety. My chicken and lavender pasta was worth writing home about in capital letters, as was the tomato and mozzarella tart my wife ordered as a starter.
Apart from having spectacular views at both noon and at night, Dieu Donne is actually built into a small hillock and looks like nothing at all from the outside. But, inside it is spacious and modern with arched brick ceilings and glass walls around the kitchen so you can watch your food being prepared, if you can drag your eyes away from the views.
It is also one of the few vineyards in the world with an on-site brewery. And while it is undoubtedly South Africa's richest and most beautiful valley, restaurant prices were reasonable and affordable for those who feel the lure of the area but have to get there on one of the budget airlines.
- For more information, visit www.dieudonnevinyards.com or call the Dieu Donne Restaurant on 021 876 3384.