It’s a chilly day on which I head out to Franschhoek Cellar, but there’s a fire burning in the fireplace as I arrive. I’m here to learn a little more about the winery, which, in years gone by, has been a brandy distillery, a farmer’s co-operative and a wine shop.

“They started off making brandy,” Cellar Door Manager, Mearl van Riet tells me, when I ask about the history of the winery. The company has its roots at the start of the 20th Century, when brandy distiller W H Joubert established a winery in the valley. Later on, the winery was bought by Castle wine and Brandy, who constructed a winery on the current property. It briefly became a brandy distillery during the depression, before returning to wine-making in 1930.

“This building was built in 1945,” says Mearl, when the local farmers began to vinify their grapes on a co-operative basis, and the Franschhoek Co-operative Wine Cellar was born. “The co-op used to stock all the different wine estates wine,” Mearl explains.

In the past fifteen to twenty years, however, the winery has begun to shed this co-op image. Since 2007, when DGB took over, the focus has been firmly on producing a private range, within DGB’s premium wine stable.

“I’ve been here two years, and we still occasionally get people looking for a wine shop,” says Mearl with a laugh.

Their range of wines also incorporates the history of the valley into their identity, each wine named for an historical monument in the valley. There is a Statue de Femme Sauvignon Blanc, named for the statue at the Huguenot Monument, a La Cotte Mill Chenin Blanc, and Churchyard Cabernet Sauvignon, named for the oldest churchyard in the valley.

“It’s everyday drinking wine – it’s not wine that you should lay down and age for 20 years in a bottle – it’s very light, very easy drinking. Very good value for money.”

“The idea with the cheese and wine pairing is that Franschhoek Cellar will be the only cellar in Franschhoek that offers cheese and wine pairing,” Mearl tells me.

In the interests of science, I give the cheese and wine pairing a bash. The tasting begins with the 2010 crisp, green Sauvignon, paired with a creamy Goat’s milk Chevre. Then there’s a sweet nutty Emmental which goes beautifully with the tropical Chenin.

“All the cheese is local, from a company called Truckles. What Richard [Duckitt, the cellar’s wine-maker] and the owner of Truckles did was to pair the different wines with those cheeses. We normally suggest, but it’s personal – it’s what you like at the end of the day.”

My personal favourite then, is the creamy Gorgonzola paired with the 2009 Old Museum Merlot. Perfect for a winter evening – or lunch – by the fireside.

By Katharine Jacobs

For more on Franschhoek Cellar, visit www.eatout.co.za/franschhoekcellar.