The Cape’s winelands have lush green valleys, rugged mountains, azure seas and sky, restored Cape Dutch farmsteads with their distinctive gables and thatched roofs, and the mountains that form the dramatic backdrop to all of this. The Cape winelands are some of the most scenic in the world and wine tourism is one of South Africa’s fastest growing industries. Traditionally, when referring to the Cape Winelands, we think of  the cellars around Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington and Franschhoek. However, 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.

POPULAR WINE ROUTES
 
Breedekloof Wine Route, Breede River Valley
Breedekloof Wine Route, Breede River Valley.  Route 62, which markets itself as the longest wine route in the world, includes the Breedekloof on its wine routes.  The youngest wine route in South Africa and just 90 km outside of Cape Town, the Breedekloof wine route lies in the Breede River Valley, which stretches from Gouda in the west, McGregor in the south, Montagu in the east and . Route 62, which markets itself as the longest wine route in the world, includes the Breedekloof on its wine routes.

Constantia Wine Route, Cape Town
Constantia Wine Route. One of the very few appellations in the world just minutes outside of a city, the Constantia wine route includes five producers, each with a rich history and winemaking that dates back to late 1600s. The Constantia valley, just 20 minutes outside of Cape Town’s city bowl, is breathtakingly beautiful, with vineyard rows that stretch up the eastern slopes of the Constantiaberg mountainside. The route is an easy morning or day trip and the farms provide quality restaurants for lunches and tea. Rich in heritage and beauty, Constantia Wine Route is made up of three famous wine estates, namely Buitenverwachting, Groot Constantia and Klein Constantia. Constantia was one of the first wine-producing areas of the Western Cape

Durbanville Wine Route, Cape Town
Durbanville Wine Route. Only 20 km north of Cape Town, the Durbanville wine route, like Constantia, is very close to the mother city but frequently overlooked. Some nine estates lie on the beautiful, rolling Tygerberg hills, producing a wide variety of wines. Some nine estates lie on the beautiful, rolling Tygerberg hills, producing a wide variety of wines. The terroir is vastly different from one cellar to the next, and whilst some farms are influenced by the cool Atlantic Ocean, deep soils and night-time mists, those within the interior valley are snugger and warm. The result - a vast range of fruit-driven and stylish wines, some of whose history dates back as far as the late 1600s. The wine growers too range from the more traditional to the ultra modern and visiting the estates makes for a busy but rewarding day.

Franschhoek Wine Route, Cape Winelands
Franschhoek Wine Route, Cape Winelands.  Franshhoek is just 50 minutes’ drive from Cape Town and the heart of one of the oldest and most beautiful wine routes in the Cape. Just half an hour’s drive from Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington and the Somerset West wine routes, Franschhoek is also part of the Four Passes Fruit Route.
The Valley of the Huguenots, as Franschhoek is also known, became home to a community of French Huguenots who fled their country from religious persecution. They soon recognised that this valley had very similar weather to the wine growing regions in France. Today, over 300 years later, this tradition continues and the valley produces all the classic styles and noble cultivars - from whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Chenin Blanc through to the reds of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Over 30 wine cellars produce some of the country’s top wines.

Helderberg Wine Route, Cape Wine Routes
Helderberg Wine Route, Cape Wine Routes. A sub-route of the Stellenbosch Wine Routes, the Helderberg route is only 15 minutes’ drive from Cape Town’s airport and is near the town of Somerset West. These vines lie on the slopes of the Helderberg and combine the influences of both a mountain and maritime climate, producing some very unique wines.
The 25 members of the Helderberg route follow distinctly different methods of growing grapes, from a 300-year old historical cellar to state-of-the-art boutique wineries and visiting the wide range of family-owned estates and grand manor houses is a superb weekend or day’s outing. Helderberg wineries include Vergelegen, Ken Forrester Wines at Scholtzenhof Vineyards, Morgenster Estate, Post House Cellar and many others.

Paarl Vintners, Cape Winelands
Paarl Vintners, Cape Winelands. The town of Paarl, named so because of the large granite outcrop - the most prominent of which looks like a large dome or pearl - lies only 50 km outside of Cape Town and within easy reach of the mother city.
Paarl Vintners has earned its place as the world’s first ‘red route’ because of its focus on wines such as Roodeberg, Cabernet Sauvignon, port and Shiraz. The Paarl district includes the wards of Franschhoek and Wellington as well as the newer wards of Simonsberg-Paarl and Voor-Paardeberg. A large variety of grapes is grown in the district including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Because the summers are warm and long and there is good rainfall in the area, irrigation is only necessary in exceptional circumstances. Most of the estates, 33 at last count, offer wine tasting and cellar tours and some have excellent restaurants.

Robertson Wine Route.
Only 1.5 hours’ drive from Cape Town and in the heart of Route 62 - the longest wine route in the country - Robertson Wine Valley lies surrounded by majestic mountains in the Breede River Valley.
With a minimal annual rainfall and harsh weather conditions, including hot, dry days and cold nights, wines produced in this region of lime-rich soil yield some world-class and unique tasting wines.
The Robertson wine route includes the town of Ashton, Bonnievale, McGregor and Robertson as well as some of South Africa’s best names such as Weltevrede, Bon Courage, De Wetshof, Rooiberg, Bon Cap and Kranskop - to name but a few.
The valley, known as the ‘valley of vines and roses’, has undergone something of a wine evolution in the last couple of decades. The region was initially best known for its dessert wines and more recently Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blancs and Cap Classiques. A red wine project, started in the early 1990’s, however, has brought the region’s Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon to the attention of wine consumers both locally and internationally.

Stellenbosch Wine Route, Cape Winelands

Just 45 minutes from Cape Town, the Stellenbosch wine route is the oldest in the country and represents over 300 wineries. Because of this it is divided into a number of sub-routes to make it easier to travel, namely: Bottelary Hills, Devon Valley Vintners, Helderberg and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch.
Bottelary Hills lies on the slopes of the Bottelary Mountain range with most of its vineyards facing north thus producing excellent red wines. This area is considered at the forefront of viticulture and viniculture when it comes to Pinotage. Devon Valley Vintners lies to the west of Stellenbosch. Most of the wineries are small and focus on red wines although they have also produced some enviable premium white and sparkling wines. Simonsberg-Stellenbosch is known as ‘Cabernet country’.
The town of Stellenbosch, which lies at the heart of this winemaking area, is a gorgeous, historical university town with some of the best-preserved Victorian and Georgian buildings along Dorp Street, itself a national monument. Its oak-lined streets are home to a number of excellent restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques and galleries. The university is the only one in South Africa with a viticultural and oenological department and Stellenbosch is home to one of the most modern experimental wineries in the world.

Tulbagh Wine Route, Cape Winelands
Only 80 minutes’ drive from Cape Town, the Tulbagh Valley lies surrounded on three sides by mountains – in the west, the Obiqua Mountains, to the north the Winterhoek Mountains and to the east, the Witzenberg Mountain range. Cool, south-easterly winds blow in along the southern side of this beautiful valley during the summer – creating perfect conditions for viticulture.
The valley, graced with fertile soil, plenty of sunshine and good rainfall has a mild Mediterranean climate, characterised by extreme differences in temperature during the day and night and hot, dry summers. The true potential of the area is now being realised and the extremely variable soils in this secluded valley produce some award-winning wines.
The Tulbagh valley has some of the most natural beauty in the Cape and wine has become a focus of attention recently, particularly due to the string of national and international awards taken by a number of estates and private cellars. Some of South Africa’s best known wine estates, including Drostdyhof, Theuniskraal and Twee Jonge Gezellen are part of this valley’s wine route.

CAPE WINELANDS