Fynbos in Franschhoek

Haut Espoir’s high hopes for the Hoek

It’s a beautiful day in the Hoek. As we pull up at Haut Espoir, a boutique wine farm in the corner of Franschhoek Valley, I’m blown away by the uninterrupted view of the valley. The surrounding mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to this area filled with wine farms.

We’re greeted by Rob Armstrong, whose family bought the farm 11years ago. It doesn’t take long to figure out just how passionate he is about fynbos. When they first bought the farm there was nothing there but blue gums, Port Jackson and pine trees. After removing the alien vegetation they planted almost 7000 seedlings from the erica, restio and protea families. 

Starting outside the wine cellar and tasting room we walk up to look over the vineyard as Rob tells us about his favourite plants.

Oumansebaardbos

A bush bursting with white flowers Rob tells us is Wild Rosemary, and was used for stuffing pillows. This earned it another name, Oumansebaardbos, as the flowers would leak from the pillows and get tangled up in men’s beards. You can’t ingest it, but you can crush the leaves and breathe in to clear sinuses or even use it as a shampoo. “Karoo lamb tastes of it because they eat it so much that it flavours them internally,” says Rob. Vygies, or sour fig is next, “It’ll cure your babelaas, that’s for sure!” It’s apparently great for fighting toxins, and the flowers are often used to make a konfyt. “I love this stuff, it’s my medicine chest.”

 “Check for bugs,” Rob instructs as he feeds us deliciously sour oxalis flowers. I’m amazed at how many of the plants he shows us are edible or medicinal. I quickly get over feeling bad about munching on the pretty flowers that he picks and passes to us. Some plants, however, should probably be avoided...“You can kill someone with this,” Rob says cheerfully picking a Pig’s Ear. “Ingesting it will stop your heart.” Rob climbs into the bushes to show us a massive king protea, his enthusiasm for fynbos and the stories that go with it makes this experience the most fun I’ve ever had talking about plants.

Buchu brandy

As well as working towards biodiversity on their farm and in their winemaking; Haut Espoir also produces a beautiful range of wines with Rob creating different variations of buchu brandy and mead too. Their tasting room is in the expansive wine cellar with barrels laid out in neat rows. “We have three or four vintages ageing. We don’t hurry them through, they just age,” Rob explains. We get a preview of the 2009 Cloud Fall, the name tying in to the theme of their previous vintage, Gentle Giant. Then comes the buchu brandy, each with a different type of buchu left in the bottle to infuse with the alcohol.

Still in the fermenting process is Rob’s mead. The beehives they keep on the farm keep them well stocked: “There’s only so much honey you can eat.”

Dragon Power

Walking around the farm we come across a surprising sight – a large Muay Thai training room complete with trampoline, boxing ring and weights. This is Rob’s other passion he’s hoping to share in the future with Mauy Thai training retreats. Another plan in the making is to open the farm up as a botanical garden with areas where people can have picnics and listen to live music.

Haut Espoir is doing a huge amount for the biodiversity of their corner of Franschhoek so give them a call to arrange a guided fynbos walk and a tasting. It’s a beautiful way to spend an afternoon.

By Lindsay Callaghan

Haut Espoir
Excelsior Road | Franschhoek | +27 (0)21 876 4000

Opening times: Monday - Friday: 11am - 5pm, Saturday - Sunday: By appointment.

While you’re in Franschhoek stop in at Huguenot Fine Chocolates and subscribe to our weekly or monthly newsletter , follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for more on Cape Town and surrounding areas.