A bakery where excellence rises daily
The poetry of fermentation at La Motte Wine Estate
There’s a quiet kind of alchemy that happens at La Motte Artisanal Bakery & Garden Café, where the scent of freshly baked bread fills the historic Jonkershuis, built in 1752. Under the guidance of master baker Markus Färbinger and head baker Ricardo Slawers, time and transformation take centre stage, similar to the work of the estate’s winemakers.
Much like a fine wine, the bakery’s goods are shaped by time, temperature and respect for the living cultures that bring it to life. Each morning the smell of freshly baked loaves drifts from the wood-fired oven, crafted in France by Four Grand-mère, where Markus and his team turn humble ingredients into golden works of art. Expect an ever-changing variety of breads, from La Motte’s popular mosbolletjies to the crustique and the Cederberger (a dark, malty rye sourdough spiced to perfection). Each loaf is available to take home or to savour as part of the café’s daily menu. At the heart of the bakery is the signature La Motte M Loaf, a staple born from patience and natural fermentation.
If a bakery and a wine farm seem like an odd pairing, the two have much more in common than you might think. Wine and bread share more than a table, they share a philosophy. Both rely on fermentation that transforms simple ingredients into something layered and complex. Whether in a cellar or in a kitchen, fermentation is an act of faith: a surrender to nature’s rhythm and a celebration of the power of transformation.
And when the two come together with a still-warm slice of crusty sourdough paired with a glass of La Motte wine, something magical happens. The yeasty depth of bread enhances wine’s fruit and spice flavours, while the acidity of the wine cuts through the richness of the crumb, creating a harmony that feels like a perfect pairing.
At La Motte, this meeting of grain and grape is a philosophy: craftsmanship rooted in heritage, guided by nature and perfected through patience. Whether savoured in the Garden Café under oak trees or taken home to share at your own table, the breads of La Motte Artisanal Bakery & Garden Café invite you to taste the story of fermentation, a story written in flavour, texture and time.