Traditionally, when referring to the Cape Winelands, one called to mind the cellars around Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington and Franschhoek. However, South African wine has undergone a whole new momentum.
An emerging ethos has taken the local wine industry into the global arena. South African wine has come of age and is now competing on the world wine stage. A whole new generation of winemakers has appeared and there has been a shift from grape farming to wine growing.
The Cape winelands stretch from the coast to the plains of the Little Karoo, where grapes are also grown in the riverine valleys. There are currently some 560 wineries and 4 400 primary producers of vineyards in the Cape, divided by the Wine of Origin Scheme into 4 main regions namely the Breede River Valley, Little Karoo, Coastal and Olifants River.
Amongst the most popular Wine Routes are Breedekloof, Paarl, Cape Agulhas (Elim), Robertson, Cape Point, the Stellenbosch Routes (Bottlelary Hills, Devon Valley, Helderberg and Simonsberg), the Constantia Valley, Darling, Durbanville, Elgin (Overberg), Franschhoek, Swartland, Tulbagh, Little Karoo, Walker Bay (Hemel en Aarde), Olifants River, Wellington, Orange River and Worcester.
For detailed information on these popular Wine routes please visit our Cape Wine Routes pages at Cape Wine Routes.
If you are intesrested in taking a day trip out to the Winelands of the Cape there are a number of excellent Tours available. You can either join a tour group or do a tour of the Winelands as a private trip – either in a luxury vehicle (great for honeymooners!) or if your group is larger you can charter your own customised Wine Route Tour.
If you have hired a car it is also a lovely day trip to do on your own.
Happy Wine-tasting! (and please drive carefully).
