South Africa – Franschhoek, Paarl and Stellenbosch

Franschhoek panorama

Here is the second half of a photo report of visits to some of South Africa's leading producers. See also the first half on Constantia, Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde and South Africa – a social progress report.

After visiting the cooler regions on the south coast we took the attractive drive north from Hemel and over the beautiful, winding Franschhoek pass, to arrive in the Huguenot-influenced corner of the heart of South Africa’s winelands.

Franschhoek is a stunning comma-shaped valley that marks the eastern corner of a rough, Franschhoek–Paarl–Stellenbosch triangle that broadly centres on the mighty Simonsberg mountain.

View across Stellenbosch to the Simonsberg
View across Stellenbosch to the Simonsberg

North of Simonsberg is...