South African Wine

The South African wine industry has grown in leaps and bounds since the dawn of demo­cracy in 1994. Many pro­du­cers have won pres­ti­gi­ous inter­na­tional awards for their cre­ations, and South Africa is fast gain­ing acclaim as a wine pro­du­cer to watch. Like the cul­ture itself, dubbed the Rainbow Nation for the diversity, wines from South Africa range from crisp, clear whites to robust reds, and everything in between. We have even developed our very own grape vari­etal, Pinotage, a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Hermitage, which is slowly gain­ing pop­ular­ity and acclaim worldwide.

While there have been suc­cesses from many estates around the coun­try, for example, the new pro­du­cers in the KwaZulu Natal region, the heart of South African wine mak­ing remains in the Western Cape. This area is criss crossed with wine routes, stretch­ing from the ocean­front to the Cape Fold moun­tains and beyond.

Originally brought to the coun­try by early French set­tlers, South Africa’s wine industry has grown around these diverse cli­matic con­di­tions, the vari­ous cul­tural influ­ences, and the exper­i­mental nature of the wine makers. Options when vis­it­ing one of the many wine routes are vast, both in terms of the region chosen, and the pur­pose of the visit. Simply put, whether the vis­itor is a ser­i­ous wine con­nois­seur, a leis­ure seeker, or look­ing for some fam­ily fun, there will be an activ­ity to suit your tastes.

Within the greater Cape Town area itself, lies the Grande dame of wine farms – Groot Constantia which one can visit, to enjoy wine tast­ing, lunch or shop­ping, without ever leav­ing the city. The Durbanville Wine Route, the closest to the Mother City, at about 20 minutes from Cape Town itself offers wine tast­ing tours, many excel­lent res­taur­ants, and fam­ily ori­ented farm exper­i­ences. For those wish­ing to ven­ture fur­ther afield, Stellenbosch and Drakenstein offer a wide vari­ety of estates, both new and his­tor­ical, includ­ing the world fam­ous Boschendal, where it is pos­sible to arrange a pre packed gour­met pic­nic, and enjoy it under the trees, on their lush green lawns.

Other attrac­tions avail­able at Boschendal estate, like many oth­ers, include a res­taur­ant, local arts, crafts and curios, a his­tor­ical tour of the ori­ginal manor house, built in the eight­eenth cen­tury, and of course, the wine tast­ing experience.

Further still, you will reach the pic­tur­esque vil­lage of Franschhoek, where those early French set­tlers first decided to set up home. Also the site of many fam­ous wine pro­du­cing estates, the town has in fact com­bined the love of vit­i­cul­ture with another ancient craft – cheese pro­du­cing, and annu­ally host the Bien Donne cheese and wine fest­ival. With wine mak­ing such a big industry in the coun­try, there are many excel­lent wine routes to visit: Paarl, Wellington, Worcester and Rawsonville being just a few.

Any vis­itor would be well advised, given the sheer num­ber of wine routes, estates and activ­it­ies on offer, not to men­tion the actual wines, to research and plan their exper­i­ence before hand, either via the inter­net, or through one of the tour­ist bur­eaus in any of the wine pro­du­cing areas.

Useful Links:
Find more des­tin­a­tion info at:
Cape Winelands
Cape Wine Routes
Cape Winelands Hotels