La Motte A Culture of Excellence

A versatile wine portfolio has earned the estate numerous international accolades. Made from grapes grown in South Africa’s premium wine regions, La Motte wines are classic in style and elegant in character and are a reflection of their specific terroir. With a range of noble varietals which include Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, La Motte’s focus is on the production of Sauvignon Blanc (which includes the organically grown Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc) and Shiraz. With a shared passion for Shiraz, CEO Hein Koegelenberg and Cellar Master and Chairman of the South African Shiraz Association Edmund Terblanche have been dedicating a lot of time to tasting and experimenting with Shiraz blends, resulting in exceptional and exciting Rhône style blends such as its acclaimed Pierneef Shiraz • Viognier. La Motte has a culture of sharing its attributes with visitors – the natural beauty of the landscape, its focus on conservation of nature, heritage, art and culture and of course its passion for food and wine. Confirming its extraordinary offering in wine tourism is La Motte’s achievement to have been voted the South African Winner of the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) Best of Wine Tourism Awards for two consecutive years in 2012 and 2013.

The La Motte Experience begins with a welcoming in the sociable Wine Tasting Room. Here, a wide variety of La Motte’s award-winning wines can be sampled amidst original works of art by acclaimed South African artist Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (1886 – 1957). Visitors have an unimpeded view of the working and maturation cellars through large glass panels. Tutored cellar tours and themed tastings such as vintage tastings add a further dimension to the tasting experience, while a Food and Wine Tasting guides guests through an array of tasting sized portions of haute cuisine prepared by the estate’s restaurant and paired with the La Motte wines. La Motte’s focus on incorporating an exceptional food and wine offering into all the experiences on the estate, has earned it the 2013 Drinks International Wine Tourism Awards for Best Food and Wine Matching Experience. The elegant Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant, embraced by tranquil gardens and majestic oak trees serves the traditional cuisine of the Western Cape, called Cape Winelands Cuisine. This traditional cuisine has been adjusted to suit the modern day palate and kitchen and the estate shares a compilation of recipes in a beautiful coffee-table cookbook with exquisite photography, also called Cape Winelands Cuisine. This regional cuisine enables the chef’s seasonal menus to be sourced locally and from sustainably sources.

Inspired by La Motte’s owner, Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg, leading South African mezzo-soprano and devoted art lover, the Estate and its people enjoy sharing the arts with visitors. The La Motte Museum offers a stimulating cultural experience, including aspects of the Rupert family and La Motte’s history, as well as a rotating contemporary exhibition and an exhibition of the treasured and sentimental private collection of one of South Africa’s most famous artists, JH Pierneef. The museum is also the departure point of a guided Historic Walk sharing information on the Cape Dutch Architecture and history of the farm. The walk ends at the traditional Water Mill where flour is still milled for use in the farm kitchen and concludes with a tasting of the artisan breads bake on the estate. Monthly classical music concerts are also presented in the magnificent historic cellar, with performances by renowned local and international artists.

As part of their relaxing La Motte Experience, visitors can browse through the quaint La Motte Farm Shop with a fascinating selection of farm-baking, gifts and take-home reminders of the Estate. A delectable Winelands Tea with a selection of tees from the world and Winelands-inspired confectionary can be enjoyed in the surrounding garden.

La Motte has been farming organically since 2007 and the estate has been awarded full SGS Certification – an International Organic Production Standard that acknowledges good agricultural practice in organic production. Being the category winner for Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices in the 2013 Best of Wine Tourism awards, La Motte not only focuses on organic and sustainable practices on the estate, in the cellar and in the restaurant, but it also shares its green values with guests. Visitors to the estate can join a guided Organic Walk through the organically grown vineyards, indigenous gardens, the Protea gardens (where local indigenous flora is cultivated) and visit the estate’s biodynamic vegetable and herb garden that provide Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant with fresh produce. A mountainside Hiking Trail is one of a number of initiatives that earned La Motte its BWI Champion status for its commitment to conservation. Along this scenic route, the more energetic visitors can explore some of La Motte’s greatest natural assets – the abundant bird-life, a protea garden, the wealth of indigenous flora and the breathtaking vistas of the Franschhoek Valley – imprinting indelible memories of a wine tourism destination that is simply unique!