Mont Rochelle Hotel & Vineyard
Mont Rochelle, a stunning 26-bedroom hotel and vineyard in Franschooek, just under one hour’s drive from Cape Town. This traditional vineyard town is famously known as the French Corner and is considered to be the food and wine capital of South Africa.
The grounds at Mont Rochelle cover 39 hectares (about 100 acres) and you’re welcome to go exploring. A favourite activity for many of our hotel guests is picnicking on the estate – our kitchen can arrange a well-stocked picnic basket with a chilled bottle of wine (or two!). There are two restaurants, a cosy bar, a spa, a gym and a heated outdoor pool and wine cellar.
In Mont Rochelle’s 37 hectare vineyard we cultivate grapes of the Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties amongst a few others. The vineyards are situated between 250m and 400m above sea level on north and north east facing slopes exposing the grapes to a range of micro climates. Mediterranean-like conditions found in the Western Cape means dry summers and high winter rainfalls of 1000mm.
At Mont Rochelle wine tasting isn’t just a special event -it’s an everyday occurrence. Our 150 year-old wine cellar was previously used as a fruit packing shed for the early settlers. Since being converted to a wine cellar we now process close to 150 tons of grapes in a season, focusing more concentration on quality rather than quantity. Stainless steel tanks aid in the making of the crisp clean whites, while barrels are favoured for the red wine making. Wines are available to purchase.
There are 2 restaurants at Mont Rochelle: Miko is our main restaurant and is the setting for some fantastic gourmet dinners. Adjacent to the winery is the Country Kitchen, an ideal spot for a light lunch. We recommend you call in advance to book a table.
Dustin Osborne, Our Winemaker
Dustin Osborne is the accomplished wine maker at Mont Rochelle, a qualified oenologist and viticulturist. Dustin embodies the spirit of the new generation of wine makers, and is recognized among the most promising of South Africa’s new winemakers.
Born into a farming family in Brandfort, near Bloemfontein in South Africa, Dustin set his sights on becoming a wine maker at the tender age of 16. Determined to realize his ambition, he enrolled at the Prestigious Lincoln University in New Zealand, inspired by this country’s reputation for producing world-class Sauvignon Blanc. Here he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Viticulture and Oenology.
Dustin spent his university vacations working in the vineyards of the famed Peregrine Wines, in Queenstown, New Zealand. This was followed by a stint volunteering at the Villiera Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, where he worked mainly with Pinotage and Chardonnay for base wines and worked as vintage Assistant Winemaker at Burrowing Owl Vineyards in Okanagan Valley, Canada.
Thereafter he gained cellar experience at the Jordan Vineyard and Winery, Sonoma County, California, following this were tenures at the Villa Maria Estate, Blenheim, in Marlborough New Zealand; Tsillan Cellars Winery, Lake Chelan, USA, where he held the position of Assistant Winemaker, and, finally returning home to work with various varietals at Delheim Winery in Stellenbosch, before being approached to join Mont Rochelle 2007.
At Mont Rochelle he was responsible for producing around 10,000-12,000 cases of wine every year. Two of his wines scored Gold at the 2009 esteemed Monde Selection International Wine Contest in Brussels (Belgium). Significantly Mont Rochelle was one of only three South African wine producers to be named among the Gold Award winners in that year.
In July 2011 Dustin became the General Manager and Winemaker at Aaldering Vineyards and Wines. In that time he was involved in securing five IWSC silver and gold awards. Leaving Aaldering in 2014 he returned as Winemaker to Mont Rochelle following the acquisition by Virgin Limited Edition.
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