Val du Charron is French for “Valley of the Wagonmakers”, so named by the wagon and wine-making French Hugenots who settled in the area towards the late 17th century.
The stunning view from my room overlooking the farm and mountain range
It was also the original name given to the town of Wellington, better known for it’s South African dried fruits, chutney, and wine.
However, grapes and olives are not the only things that can be found at Val du Charron Wine and Olive Estate, Guesthouse and Spa, as I was recently fortunate enough to experience.
Thanks to the great guys at Zomato SA I was extremely privileged to be chosen as one of the 7 lucky guests to attend Zomato’s first ever #EatSleepMeet (yes I made this one up too, lol, I don’t mind if you use it too 😉 .
Nothing but blue skies and palm trees lining the driveway
About 1 1/2 hours drive from Milnerton, Cape Town with a whole of traffic on the N1 highway I eventually made it to this gorgeous estate. Without traffic, I reckon it’d be more like an hour’s drive or so. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were in California for a split second, with the mighty palm trees lining the driveway to greet you as you drive up.
Val Du Charron covers 42 hectares, with half of that dedicated to their vineyards. All the wine produced on the estate is exported, so the only way to get your hands on a lovely bottle of their premium wines is to pay them a visit and buy on site.
Not only were we treated to hearty dinner at their restaurant The Local Grill but we were also very blessed to sleep over in the 4 star guesthouse and treated to a site inspection and cellar tour the next day.
Dinner is served
Springbok Skewers with Rasberry sauce and Bobotie Springrolls – Welcome Canapes
The finest Pinot Gris Wine – just before the final product and the final product
Grilled calamari tubes served with lemon butter and chilli jam
Beef carpaccio with parmesan shavings and rocket
Local salad with avocados, feta, tomato and cucumber
Three primal cuts: Fillet, Rump, Sirloin 2 grass fed selections + 1 grain fed
Creme Brulee, Chocolate Brownie, Pecan Pie and Vanilla ice cream
Meat-cational placemats not for the vegetarians
Inside The Local Grill
The Black Countess blended red wine
Dining table inside The Local Grill
WARNING: Not for vegetarians! Whilst there are vegetarian options on the menu, I’d say this is a pretty well established Meat-a-tarian restaurant. Our waiter was sure to tell us about the differences betweet grain fed and grass fed beef; all the different cuts and which is juicier….I’m not going to tell you, you best try it for yourself.
Accommodation at Val Du Charron
Val Du Charron has 8 rooms in the guesthouse and 3 luxury VIP suites in their 5 star Coachhouse, each complete with their own private swimming pool. Owners Cathy and Stuart spared no expense in adding additional luxury to this wine estate by also including a beautiful Spa on site. What better way to end off a day of wine tasting than to enjoy a tranquil massage in this quiet serenity of their Spa.
My room for the night
One of the private pools in the coachhouse
Stunning jacuzzi in one of the private suites in the coachhouse
Luxurious suite in the Coachhouse
The Spa at Val Du Charron
African Angel overlooking the farm
Mosaic Angel
Mosaic Angel near the spa
African Angel presiding over the lawn area
The Venue
Want to get married here? No problem, a beautiful room called The Venue can seat up to 100 people and is available for hire. This venue can also serve as a conference room, for those out of town strat sessions, although I’m not exactly sure how much work will get done with those sweeping views of the mountains and vineyards.
The conference and wedding venue
The beautiful Tree of life stained glass window made with over 1000 pieces of glass
Various conference and wedding packages are available with dance floor and sound equipment included. Great food from The Local Grill too! Just contact Val Du Charron directly for a quote.
Theatre of Wine
Val du Charron was voted the winner of 2015’s Drinks International Most Innovative Approach to Wine Tourism Award. It’s not hard to see why with their unique wine tasting experience consisting of a professional actress and sommelier retelling the story behind 3 of their wines:
The Black Countess – Named in honour of the daughter of a freed slave who married an Englishman. Scorned by high society she returned to Wellington to build farm schools for children of all races.
Four White Legs – Named after a ghost story of horses with false white legs. In the old days, one had to pay a toll at Bainskloof pass unless you had a horse with four white legs. Many people painted their horses legs white to get through for free. The toll keeper would curse these cheats. They say today you can still hear the hooves of those horses in the pass.
Pieter Erasmus – Named in honour of the very first owner of the farm in 1699. He produced the first wine in 1702 and was quite a ladies’ man.
If you would like to experience this luxurious wine estate in Wellington, here’s where you can find them:
Many thanks to owner Cathy & her husband Stuart, Bertus the winemaker, Chef Vernon, Chantelle and Altus for your hospitality and hosting us at your incredible Estate.
I hope to be back soon with my partner in tow!
#WishYouWereHere
Jax
What a beautiful place! Just learned something despite speaking French had no clue what the ‘charron’ stood for, so thanks for explaining this. Love the new hashtag, sounds like it was an amazing #EatSleepMeet 🙂
Thanks Bea, it was tres manufique! I am so blessed!! Lol glad you like the hashtag, it’s available for use 😉 xxx