Franschhoek Cellars (Freedom Cross)

Producer Directory

History

The town of Franschhoek (French Corner) derives its name from the French Huguenot families, who were allocated farms in the Oliphantshoek (Elephants’ Corner) valley around the 1690’s. These Huguenots brought with them their viticultural experiences, which led to the establishment of traditional winemaking in the valley. Franschhoek Vineyards Ltd was founded in 1945 by a group of local grape farmers to vinify their grapes on a co-operative basis.

In recent years, Franschhoek Vineyards has shed the old co-op image and is currently operating as a private winery; this new image has initiated a drive to produce quality wines at affordable prices, this includes the Ancient Earth wine range. The excellence of the wine range produced has improved significantly over the past three years

Today the cellar operates as an entity with 32 producer/shareholders. The production of the cellar is in the order of 120 000 cases per annum and is set to grow over the next few years.

Vineyards

Over 300 years ago the French Huguenots first produced wine, recognising the potential of the valley’s alluvial soil and mild Mediterranean climate. At Franschhoek long, hot, summer days ripen bunches, while the winter rainfall allows the rootstock time to rest. Grapes are selected from the best that this premier area has to offer. La Dauphine, La Provance and La Motte are just three of the famous historic farms that supply Franschhoek Vineyards.

In 1945, 37 wine growers in Franschhoek came together to form Franschhoek Co-Operative Cellar. Today there are 50 active growers who delivered 2 800 tons to the cellar in 2004. These grapes are harvested from farms spread out across the valley.

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