Overview
About Franschhoek Wine Tour
Franschhoek is around an hour from Cape Town by road, via the N1 and over Helshoogte Pass. It sits at the northern end of the Cape Winelands and is best known for MCC sparkling wine, Semillon, Rhône-style blends and outstanding cool-climate reds. Compared with Stellenbosch, the estates are closer together, the valley is smaller, and the food scene is arguably the best in the country.
Wanderer does not own estates. We work with a hand-picked list — Boschendal, La Motte, Grande Provence, Babylonstoren, Haute Cabrière, Mont Rochelle, Rickety Bridge and others — and book each tasting privately for your group. Your guide can weight the day toward MCC houses, Rhône producers, biodynamic farms or the historic Cape Dutch estates.
Each stop is around 60–90 minutes: a private tasting of five or six wines, often paired with charcuterie, cheese or chocolate, and time to walk the gardens. Three or four estates plus lunch is the natural shape of the day. Your guide tracks the clock, drives the mountain passes and books ahead so the pace stays relaxed.
Lunch in Franschhoek is a genuine highlight. Options include The Werf at Boschendal, Pierneef à La Motte, Delaire Graff, Boekenhoutskloof at Grande Provence, or a farm lunch at Babylonstoren — booked in advance based on the day and any dietary requirements. Lunch is typically paid at the restaurant on the day so you get exactly what you order.
Prefer to skip the drive between estates? We can build the day around the Franschhoek Wine Tram — one of the world's most photogenic wine tours — with your Wanderer chauffeur meeting you at the terminus and delivering you home in comfort. Ideal for smaller groups who want a fun, tram-hop feel with none of the logistics.
As always, Wanderer is your single point of contact — chauffeur, estate bookings, lunch reservation, timing and weather calls. You taste. We drive.