La Petite Ferme

Petite Ferme started life as a fruit farm run by the Dendy-Young family back in 1974 and has since become one of the foremost restaurants in the ‘foodie’ capital of South Africa, Franschhoek, with its own vineyard attached, originally just supplying the restaurant but now with enough production to sell in the local market and abroad.

In 2015 the family sold the property and a new regime was installed, including the talented young winemaker, Wikus Pretorius, who has over-seen some good improvements in the wine making. There are now about 13 hectares of vineyard, about 2/3 white and 1/3 red made in the cellar which shares a roof with the restaurant. The wines are made to go with food and in particular the menu next door. The approach is artisanal, hand crafted wines that reflect their terroir and the winemaker’s meticulous attention to detail. The soils are varied, suiting the wide number of varietals planted and the climate is warm and dry with the altitude of 400 metres above sea level helping to provide ideal conditions – up to 5°C cooler than on the valley floor at Franschhoek- especially beneficial for the white varietals for which the estate is best known. The South Easter wind also helps to keep the grapes cool and reduce disease and pests by keeping the humidity low.