Boschendal wine estate

Tucked away in the mountains near Franschoek, in the Western Cape province of South Africa, is an oasis called Boschendal. Founded in 1685, it is famed for its picnic spots and restaurants. Boschendal is about an hour's drive from Cape Town City.

Boschendal picture archive

Review of Boschendal Restaurant by the "Dry Veggie"

Arriving at Boschendal Restaurant, we were immediately struck by the beauty of the estate. We were welcomed at the restaurant with the options of sherry or grape-juice. I naturally opted for the grape-juice and was immediatley struck by the delightful freshness of this lightly sparkling grape-juice. We all started off with the Chilled Lemon and Almond Soup - cooked to perfection. The sundried Tomato and Basil Quiche I had a double helping of, but was so nice I could have had a triple. We weren't on the main course yet, but I felt it was worth coming back for these dishes alone. Only because of the excellence of the starters and soup, the main course was slightly ordinary - artichoke salad, pecan and raisin salad, sweet potatoes; although the tabbouleh and roast potatoes were great. Luckily the desert was great - malva pudding & lemon cheesecake. Our waitress June was fantastic (she'd been at the estate for years but was new to the restaurant. The food was washed down by some rooibos tea...an oddity being that they placed a sugar-bowl's lid on the pot of tea (which meant it didn't fit properly). The bill was R195 a head.

Picnic at Boschendal

Boschendal's Le Pique-Nique area provides the ideal setting for an al fresco lunch of pre-packed picnics served in wicker baskets. Tables and chairs are set in the shade, under the lofty, fragrant pine trees.

Area Boschendal covers

Boschendal's vineyards cover 254 hectares, and extend for 6km along the slopes of the Groot Drakenstein Mountain towards the Dwarsriver, to the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain.

History

1969	Boschendal wine estate is purchased by Anglo American corporation.
1952	Boschendal wine estate is sold to Sir Abe Bailey.
1902	Cecil John Rhodes dies, but the De Beers mining company continues managing Boschendal.
1887	Cecil John Rhodes purchases Boschendal.
1715	Boschendal wine estate is purchased by Abraham de Villiers (together with an unnamed adjacent piece of land granted to Nicolas de Lanoy).
1685	The title deed for 'Bossendaal' (wood and dale) dates to 1685. However, one of the first owner, Jean le Long, was a Huguenot and is more likely to have come out with the main group of Huguenots from 1688 onwards.
700,000 years ago	Artefacts from the Stone Ages have been discovered on the river plains and mountain slopes.