Haute Cabrière is one of the Franschhoek Wine Valley's most celebrated estates, built into the mountainside above the valley floor. The cellar is carved into the mountain itself — a cave carved from the rock — which maintains a constant temperature ideal for sparkling wine production. The estate specialises in Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blends in the Champagne method, producing wines that have put Franschhoek on the international map.
The restaurant at Haute Cabrière occupies a space within the cave cellar, with curved stone walls and the barrels of ageing wine nearby. Lunch here is a notable experience: the food is sophisticated, the wine list focuses on the estate's own production, and the setting is genuinely unlike any other restaurant in the valley.
Wine tastings run throughout the day. The estate is a short drive from the town centre, up the hill toward the mountains. Book ahead for both the restaurant and for the sabrage demonstrations if you want to be sure of a place.