By Josie Eveleigh

Franschhoek has long since been known as a culinary and wine hotspot in South Africa. With so much choice though comes the opportunity cost of not being able to do it all, drinking and driving is not an option and so the good people behind the Franschhoek Wine tram solved it all for us. The Wine Tram hop-on hop-off tour is one of the best ways to discover the true essence of the Franschhoek Valley –the encompassing vineyards, warm hospitality, world-class cuisine, fine wines and a 300 year history. The best part about it is that it’s open-air. Not only do you get the most ridiculous 360 degree span of the magnificent mountainous backdrop, but you’ve also got fresh air in your face and are travelling at most points on the tour, through the actual vineyard rows. It makes for a pretty memorable outing.

The tour, a combination of tram and tram-bus, transports passengers around a loop of stops allowing them to hop-off at each interval and experience the activities on offer. Stop options are up to you and your preference. If you plan to stock up on wine, then feel free to do tastings at each cellar which is included in your ticket price, or you can take a longer pause for a lunch-break at one of the many amazing estate restaurants.

For culture vultures or for those entertaining guests who’d like to get facts straight, the tour is also narrated and offers all the information on the wine route, history of some of the grandest and oldest wine farms in the country and also touches on how the area became so popular for wine production since the Huguenots first settled in this spectacular space 300 years ago.

The Tram offers two main routes and a sundowner option as well. The Blue Line visits Mont Rochelle, La Couronne, Holden Manz, La Bourgogne, La Bri, Rickety Bridge and Grande Provence. The Red Line visits the following estates: Maison, Eikehof, Leopard’s Leap, Dieu Donne, Chamonix, Rickety Bridge and Grande Provence. Tours depart every 15 minutes and you can buy tickets from the ticketing office on the main road for R200 daily until 12:45pm.

Having done both these routes I really didn’t think it could get much better, but now the recently launched sunset tapas experience tops it off and offers an exclusive chance to travel to Grande Provence for sundowners and canapés from top chef Darren Badenhorst. Get involved for R250 on Saturday evenings!