Welcome to Winelands
Venturing inland and upwards from Cape Town you’ll find the Boland, meaning ‘upland’. It’s a superb wine-producing area, and indeed the best known in South Africa. The magnificent mountain ranges around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek provide ideal microclimates for the vines.
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Winelands activities
Vine Hopper: Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tour - Northern Route
The Northern Route wine tour in Stellenbosch operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.Be collected at any Guesthouse in Stellenbosch or at the Stellenbosch Tourism Information office at 36 Mark Street. You can decide when you would like to depart and how long you would like to hop on hop off along our route.The mini bus departure times from Stellenbosch town are at 9:45, 10:50, 12:10, 13:20, 14:30 and 15:40.Please be advised that the later you depart, the fewer estates you will be able to visit. The Northern Route has spectacular views of the Winelands where you can see all the way to Table Mountain in the distance and enjoy the splendour of the Western Cape. On this Route you have the option to visit the following farms:Bergkelder - The best wine experience in the Cape awaits you at Die Bergkelder, the famous “Cellar in the mountain” in Stellenbosch. Take a tour through the underground cellars in the mountain while tasting fantastic wines.Beyerkloof - Home of Pinotage. Beyerskloof has a small but modern cellar with a welcoming homely atmosphere. Here you can do a wine tasting or have a glass of wine along with a meal in our restaurant.Simonsig - Voted top South African winery in three prestigious competitions and bearer of numerous accolades, including South Africa’s top Shiraz, Simonsig signifies the ultimate in wine excellence. One of the founder farms of the Stellenbosch wine route and home of the famous Kaapse Vonkel. Cuvee Restaurant also is a perfect lunch stop for the fine food lover.Warwick - Set on the Simonsberg Mountain slopes, this highly regarded winery has become synonymous with the great winelands picnics tradition. Join Warwick for their delicious Gourmet Picnics, Big 5 Vineyard Safaris and historic Wines, the perfect ingredients for a memorable, lazy-day-out in wine country.Delheim - Seeing Sperling family members flanked by at least one Jack Russell each; watching the geese line up for lunch; marvelling at the vineyards in the foreground of the great Simonsberg mountain all make this farm worth a visit. The restaurant offers an la carte menu or you can order meat and cheese platters to be enjoyed with your wineMarianne - A young boutique estate on the foothills of the Simonsberg Mountain with fantastic views over the estate and beyond which complement the elegant wines of this estate. Enjoy a biltong and wine pairing or get a cheese platter to enjoy with your wine on the beautiful Panoramic deck terrace.After the tour, we will drop you off at your pick up location.
Vine Hopper: Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tour - Southern Route
The Southern Route wine tour in Stellenbosch operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. We collect at any Guesthouse in Stellenbosch or at the Stellenbosch Tourism Information office at 36 Mark Street. You can decide when you would like to depart and how long you would like to hop on hop off along our route.The mini bus departure times from Stellenbosch town are at 8:45, 10:15, 12:00, 13:30 and 14:40.Please be advised that the later you depart, the fewer estates you will be able to visit.The Southern Route highlights the differences in the types of farms Stellenbosch has to offer. You can decide if you would like to go to all 6 estates or spend more time at a few of your favourites. The Southern Route visits the following farms.Neethlingshof - Along with the awe-inspiring manor house, Neethlingshof is steeped in history which dates back to 1705 and distinguished by the beautiful avenue of stone pines. It’s a place where soil, climate and vines co-exist in perfect harmony. We’re blessed with 13 distinguishable terroirs and by choosing the correct site; we've been able to enhance the natural flavour and aroma of our range of wines. Our estate’s also a member of the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI), highlighting our commitment to eco-sustainability. 28 ha of the 110 ha wine farm (under vine) is set aside for conservation and the replanting of the indigenous Renosterveld species with the aim of restoring the natural balance and encouraging wildlife, big and small, in this area.Van Ryn Brandy Cellar - The Van Ryn’s Distillery is housed in a beautiful building and a daily cellar tour shows of the Cooper, practicing his ancient art of Barrel making. After the cellar tour there are different options of brandy tasting pairings.Spier, is one of the biggest Wine Estates in Stellenbosch and is a destination in itself. Experience different wine tastings and pairing options, Restaurants, a Deli and the Cape Raptor Centre with its daily flying shows of birds of prey. Alto - Situated high on the slopes of the Helderberg mountain, the history of Alto Estate dates back to 1693 and has a special place in the wine loving South Africans heart. Fantastic red wines can be tasted here with views over the wine valley. Bilton - Tucked away in the foothills of the Helderberg, this boutique winery is a specialist producer of rare wines of distinctive character. Chocolate and wine pairing at this estate is a favorite. Kleine Zalze - Wine has been made at Kleine Zalze since 1695. the family-owned winery continues the tradition of producing wines of outstanding quality, receiving numerous awards, both locally and abroad.
Full-Day Chocolate, Cheese, Olive and Wine Tour from Stellenbosch
Join a delightful Chocolate, Cheese, Olive and Wine tasting tour. With this full day wine tour of the Cape Winelands you will tickle your taste buds like never before. Experience the best that the Cape Winelands has to offer.The Chocolate and Wine combination tasting can be enjoyed on either the Franschhoek Wine Route, Stellenbosch Wine Route or the Paarl Wine Route - which can be decided on the day with your guide. You'll only visit wine estates where you will be able to enjoy a chocolate and wine combination tasting as there are many "fakes" out there where the chocolate and wine do not match at all.The olive / olive oils can be sampled at quite a few estates if you know where to find these hidden gems as not all the estates offer good quality virgin olive oils.For the cheese and wine tasting you will be blessed to have quite a few good venues in the Cape Winelands area that offer cheese and wine tastings.The estate that you'll visit will depend on you as the tour is planned around what wine you all enjoy and prefer. It is worth mentioning that most of the estates that offer combination tastings has more red wines than white wines.
Private Cape Winelands Guided Day Tour from Stellenbosch, Franschhoek or Paarl
Pick up at your hotel or guest house or Cruise Liner at 9:30am in Paarl, Stellenbosch, or Franschhoek and drive to Stellenbosch, the biggest wine region in South Africa. A beautiful city tour follows along avenues of oak trees. The drive includes a University drive, the second oldest University in the country and the only place where you can obtain degrees in wine making. Your guide will give you a short historical overview of the area of the second oldest town in South Africa with beautiful buildings in Cape Dutch, Victorian and Georgian styles of architecture. The first tasting follows where you sample five different wines. The picturesque drive takes you to the Campus of the University, but also to the oldest part of the town. We now do a stunning mountain drive on our way to Franschhoek, the town where the French Huguenots settled many years ago. We then taste the wines of this region. Lunch will be in Franschhoek on an estate offering you spectacular views over the valley. The road now takes us to Paarl via the Drakenstein Prison - "Victor Verster". The late Ex-President Nelson Mandela was released from this prison in February1990. After a picture stop we do a Paarl Main Street drive on our way to the last vineyard for a master tasting which may be biltong and wine pairing or wine and cheese pairing or even a beer tasting.. Paarl Main Street boasts with the best examples of Cape Dutch, Victorian and Georgian architecture in the country. Return to our original departure point at approximately 5pm.
Full-Day Private Wine Tour from Franschhoek
Your bespoke tour will visit up to six wineries in the wine regions. Whilst lunch is to your own account, your wine guide will recommend and arrange a lunch venue for you. From an educational perspective, the full-day experience will also provide an opportunity, subject to availability, for you to take a cellar tour, meet with the wine maker, assistant wine maker or viticulturist to get a personal perspective on the winery and its wine. We'll also give you a specialized tasting - wine with cheese, chocolate or similar. Your guide will discuss the itinerary with you prior to embarking on your tour in order to take into consideration your wine and vineyard preferences. The option is available to modify the program as you travel. There are many vineyards in the region and we are sure you may be familiar with many of them. Particularly the South African vineyard that you buy from at home. Please see below a selection of some of the special vineyards that your wine guide feel have something special to offer in order to help you set up your tour. Anthonij Rupert : Magnificent setting. History. Excellent wines. Stoney Brook: Boutique family vineyard . Maybe best wines in valley. Certainly best value. Ĺynx : Family vineyard. Potential access to cellar during harvest. La Bourgogne : Unusual wines.Garden setting. Good food. Happy cellar dogs. Dieu Donnè : Spectacular views for orientation. Cheese Platter. Moreson : Chardonnay specialists.Great bubbles. Garden setting. La Chataigne : Small producer of super white wines. Very boutique. Glenwood: Award winning wines. Good food. Dramatic scenery. Stark Condè :(Stellenbosch ) Interesting wine range. Taste on island in lake. Good food - Postcard Restaurant. Bonus !
Guided Bike Tour of Stellenbosch
The tour starts at 9:00. Here each rider will collect a mountain bike and helmet to suite their size. The Guide will carry a backpack with snacks along the route for each rider which is included in the rate. Guide can also carry a few bottles of wine in the backpack if you would like to buy wine at one of the farms.Stellenbosch is the second oldest European settlement in South Africa and has the best preserved historical centre in the country. The tour stars with a cycle through Stellenbosch town and visiting some of these historic sites and places of interest along the way. Hear stories about the early settlers and see old Cape Dutch architecture before heading out into the scenic Jonkershoek Valley. This valley is part of a UNESCO world heritage site and a winding road through oak and poplar forests will take you to a wine estate nestled in the valley bottom, Here you can take in the stunning views of the Jonkershoek Mountains while doing a wine tasting of award winning wines.On the way out of the valley, the tour will stop at another wine estate which sports beautiful grounds and historic Cape Dutch architecture. Here a private cellar tour is included before a Chocolate and Wine pairing awaits that will make taste buds tingle.After the tasting the tour will head back into Stellenbosch Town via the famous Stellenbosch University Campus with its lively atmosphere and beautiful landscaping, before ending at approximately 13:30.There are some variations to the route, with varying levels of difficulty so the tour can be tailored to suite your cycling ability.