Overview of the Cape Winelands

Exploring the Cape Winelands

The most popular wine regions visited by tourists are Constantia, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.

The picturesque Constantia Valley located below the Table Mountain National Park is only 20 minutes from the CBD and is the closet wine region from the centre of Cape Town. It is home to the beautiful Groot Constantia founded by Simon van der Stel in 1685 and is the oldest wine producing farm in the Cape. There are ten wine farms to explore in this region each with its own distinctive heritage, outstanding wines and unique experience.

 

Stellenbosch, located 50 kilometres from the city, is the largest wine region in the Cape with over 150 wine farms and the second oldest town in the Western Cape Province. Renowned for its beautiful Cape Dutch architecture, magnificent mountain ranges and picturesque vineyards make this a fantastic region to explore. There are five sub-routes in the Stellebosch Winelands divided according to the wine style, climate and location. They are Stellenbosch Valley, Stellenbosch Berg, Greater Simonsberg, Bottlerary Hills and Helderberg. The beautiful town is known as the town of oaks with historical oak trees and some are national monuments.

The charming town of Franschhoek, located 75 kilometres from the city, was founded in 1688 by the French Huguenots who bought with them their traditions and knowledge in wine making and viticulture and transformed the area into one of the most beautiful valleys in the world. It is known as the country’s food and wine capital with numerous outstanding restaurants for you to choose from, and several talented chefs who have been awarded the highest national and international culinary honours. It is a breathtaking wine region to explore and extremely popular with tourists. The valley has 17 renowned producers of outstanding MCC for the bubbly lovers and is fast becoming a world leader in wine producing a diverse range of wines.

A great way to explore the Franschhoek Wine Valley is on the Wine Tram, read more here.

The Paarl and Durbanville Wine Valley is not to be forgotten when exploring the Cape Winelands.

The beautiful and historic Paarl Wine Valley offers a diverse range of wineries to experience. They produce a wide range of wines and styles with Shiraz being the areas signature cultivar. Here you will find some of the countries elite wine farms with heritage dating back to 1688.

The Durbanville Wine Valley is rich in history with some families producing wine for six generations. The area is well known for its signature Sauvignon Blanc due to the areas cooler climate but also produces award-winning red wines.

If you have more time and would like to head off the beaten track you can explore wine regions in Wellington, Worcester, Elgin and Robertson.

If you are planning on travelling to Hermanus, 90 minutes from Cape Town, you will find the beautiful Hemel en Aarde Valley. I highly recommend visiting this magnificent valley.

Join me as I explore the Cape Winelands and share my experiences. See my Blog for more details on my experiences and recommendations.