Perhaps not many people know that Bastille Day commemorates the 14^th July 1789 storming of the medieval fortress in Paris.  The fall of this jail became a flash point of the French Revolution.

Alexandra Galindo & Andres Correa tasting Topiary wines

But that did not stop thousand of Cape Townians and tourists alike from revelling in the Franschhoek sunshine at the Franschhoek Bastille Festival 2010, the 16^th celebration of this event.

Football fans, Alexandra Galindo from Chile and Andres Correa from Columbia, stayed on after the 2010 FIFA World Cup to discover the Western Cape and to improve their English. They had read about the Franschhoek festival on a local website and we met them while sipping Topiary wines in the Food and Wine Marquee. Alexandra had only good things to say about the Shiraz 2006 and the Rose that were on offer for tasting.

Topiary Wines, not surprisingly, is named for viticulturist, Malcolm Pemberton’s sculpted garden on the property in Franschhoek. This new boutique winery produces a Methode cap classique and a Rose wine, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc varietal wines.

Protea wines stand

For me a super discovery in the Food and Wine Marquee was the new second label of Antonij Rupert Wines, The Protea Range, consisting of Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Chenin Blanc 2009, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and Merlot 2007. What is remarkable about this range is that they are made to the same high standard as the L’Ormarins and Anthonij Rupert wines but retail at under R50.00 per bottle.  They are available locally at Ultra Liquor Stores, Vaughn Johnson’s Wine Shop, Wine Concepts and at Picardi Liquor Stores.

The barrel rolling race drew us out into the sunshine again. South Africa had promised to roll out the barrel for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but you haven’t seen anything quite like this Franschhoek Wine Route competition where 16 wine farms compete for the trophy. Although the challenge is thrown out each year to the other wine routes to compete, none take up the challenge. An investigation by our specialist team led to an embarrassing reason for this – the maturation containers of Stellenbosch Wine Route farms are square. Come on guys – prove us wrong on this one and take up the challenge in 2011!

Reigning champ, Glenwood, fell in the quarter finals and Franschhoek Cellars took the trophy.

With or without a festival, Franschhoek has everything to offer as a mini-break destination or a day out. Enter the valley and you could be a world away.

Barrel rolling competition