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Every piece of furniture here was custom-made for Rupert & Rothschild. The side table with its brass detail and the hanging lamp imitate the shape of a wine barrel. The rug is from Gonsenhausers Fine Rugs. -
Christo designed the coat stand, which is clad in brass and has wooden knobs. The table with its brass detail is also inspired by a wine barrel. The ceramic vase is by artist Helen Vaughan. -
The French oak table and chairs were made by Pierre Cronje. -
The wine shelves and the table were designed by Christo Barnard and made by Pierre Cronje. The wing chairs are from Wunders. -
Franschhoek Wine-Tasting Centre -
The tasting centre is open from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4.30 pm, and on Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. It’s closed on religious public holidays. You don’t have to book, but it’s advisable for a group of 10 or more. -
Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons is situated on the historic French Huguenot farm Fredericksburg at the foot of the Simonsberg range. -
The imported Rothschild Fromage Selection available for tasting includes three cheeses, a fresh baguette and other delicacies. -
The oval wine-tasting counter and the other wooden furniture, inside and outside, are all made of French oak by master craftsman Pierre Cronje. The floors are all oak, and the poplar beams are original – one beam was used as a mantelpiece. The lights above the tasting counter are by Tom Dixon, and the baskets for firewood on either side of the fireplace were designed by Christo. The drawings are of the two founders, Dr Anton Rupert and Baron Edmond de Rothschild. -
The blue-and-white casual outdoor furniture is by Paulo Lenti from Italy. -
Head chef Carmen Muller and her team prepare the dishes on the Wine and Food Tasting Menu as well as the Chef’s Menu, which includes West Coast mussels steamed in Rupert & Rothschild’s Baroness Nadine Chardonnay and flavoured with saffron. -
Green foliage and running water create a cool, welcoming atmosphere on this beautiful farm with its French Huguenot heritage. -
The outdoor furniture is from Calligaris in Italy. The Pink Geranium design and landscape company from Paarl were responsible for the landscaping and the green walls. -
The Pink Geranium was responsible for landscaping the grounds. -
Glass stack doors open up the tasting venue to the courtyard.
PHOTOS Jan Ras PRODUCTION Sumien Brink WORDS Debbie Loots
A Franschhoek wine farm that belongs to two families, one South African and one French, has a tasting centre that is characterised by understated luxury and a touch of French flair.
A drive out on a sunny day to visit the new tasting centre at Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons in the Franschhoek valley is exhilarating. Lush green vineyards flash past against the backdrop of the hazy blue Simonsberg on the way to the farm, which dates back to 1690.
A joint venture established in 1997 between the late Dr Anton Rupert and the late Baron Edmond de Rothschild from France is now a premium international wine brand owned by the Rupert family and Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, son of the late Baron Edmond.
Upon arrival I am greeted by interior designer Christo Barnard, who takes me on a tour of the new tasting centre, which comprises two venues separated by a treed courtyard. We turn left first, into the brand-new building used for private, public and conference group tastings. Opposite is a renovated Cape Dutch building, the original tasting room, which we’ll come back to.
“It was a challenge to get it all right,” says Christo while we admire pendant lamps that resemble deconstructed wine barrels, two LED light strips following their curve inside. They are striking. The wine barrel reference is repeated throughout the two venues in details on the tables, even in the curve of the larger tables’ legs. Photographs of the farm and art works from the Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch hang on the walls, and vases by Anton Bosch and Helen Vaughan are displayed on plinths and tables.
Christo was responsible for the interior, including the design of all the custom-made French oak furniture and fittings by Pierre Cronje; and Servaas de Kock of Malherbe Rust Architects was tasked with the construction of the new building and the renovation of the existing wine-tasting venue, office and kitchen.
Walking across the courtyard towards the renovated public tasting centre, we meet Debra Savage, the international marketer of the brand since its inception in 1997.
“Our aim was to create an elegant and sophisticated yet friendly environment that reflects the personality and profile of the brand,” Debra tells me as we go inside.
Here, food and wine tastings can be enjoyed. “We also sell imported Rothschild Champagne and wine from their properties in France, Argentina and New Zealand, and offer an exclusive Rothschild Fromage Selection, imported from their cheese farm outside Paris,” Debra says. “It gives visitors the opportunity to experience the French influence.”
Later, sitting outside on a Pierre Cronje chair, sipping a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and nibbling a slice of Délice de Favières Truffé cheese while marvelling at the colours of the vineyards and the mountains, I conclude they got the balance just right.
