Western Cape Winelands - Where to visit?

South African wine has always had a special place in my heart, having grown up in Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia and South Africa). My first wine drinking experiences were in my late teens whilst training in hotel management in Johannesburg. Here we drank classic, affordable and quaffable names such as ‘Autumn Harvest Crackling’, ‘Old Brown Sherry’ and ‘Tassenberg’ red wine. A hotel school study trip to the Cape Winelands in the late 1990’s helped to develop my young palate and opened my eyes to a flourishing wine trade in post-apartheid South Africa. After a ski season working as a chef in the USA, I moved to the UK and started to work for Oddbins in a few of their flagship West London stores. Here I got to meet great names such as Anthony Hamilton Russel, making Burgundian style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Hermanus and Bruce Jack who started Flagstone Winery in those days.

Nearly 25 years on, here I am, running an independent wine shop in St Albans, selling some of the most highly regarded wines in the world. A large proportion of these top shelf wines are from the Western Cape. Watching the South African wine industry go from strength to strength of the last few decades has established my commitment to championing it when ever I can. The resilience and determination of every producer I speak to is inspiring. Drought, Covid and economic and political turmoil have not stopped South Africa continuing to produce world class wines. Long may this continue.

These are my (current) top 10 choices from our wide South African wine range:

1. Waterkloof Cape Coral Mourvedre Rosé
2. Wildeberg Chenin Blanc
3. Lismore Age of Grace Viognier
4. Blackwater Palomino
5. Andreas Shiraz
6. Saurwein OM Pinot Noir
7. De Grendel Brut Sparkling
8. Kabbeland Cinsault
9. Babylonstoren Chardonnay
10. Dornier Moordenaarskloof Tinta Barocca

Over the years I've taken every opportunity to travel and we all know that the wine world is hardly short of beautiful destinations. Flights to South Africa are a major contributor to my annual air miles, having family there and the Western Cape winelands for me to conduct my work!

Every time I visit the Western Cape, I'm in awe of the great strides being taken by the wine industry as a whole. From skilled viticulture to world class winemaking in the wineries, the quality of wine coming out of SA has never been better.

I frequently get asked by friends and customers to recommend wine farms to visit. Here is a suggested itinerary with a few of my favourite places to visit, eat and stay.  This is part one! Part two to follow in another blog post soon.

Durbanville Hills

De Grendel Estate 

The restaurant and tasting room at De grendel is fabulous, with one of the best views of Table mountain from their terrace. This is also the closest wine farm to Cape Town International Airport and the city centre, so if you're short on time, this wonderful estate has the perfect location.

Stellenbosch

Vergelegen Wine Estate

Vergelegen is a beautiful, historic estate with wonderful gardens, a museum and an ancient Camphor tree forest. Wine aside, this is a very special place to visit and if you happen to visit too early for wine, the traditional milk tart for morning tea is a must.

Waterkloof Wine Estate

The entire Waterkloof estate is farmed biodynamically. Chorus, is the name of the restaurant here, run by one of the top chefs in the country, Bertus Basson. The glass box architecture of the winery is stunning and has the most breath taking views of the Schapenberg mountains and False Bay. Waterkloof wines are Cellar Door Wines' all time favourite range, year in and year out.

Franschhoek

Babylonstoren is an absolutely gorgeous estate with gardens affiliated with Kew in the UK. They have farm to fork style fine dining and more relaxed restaurants. If you've been lucky enough to attend the Chelsea flower show in the last few years, you may have had a glass of their delicious Mourvedre rosé at the bar.

Wildeberg Wines 

Hidden in the wild mountains just outside the town of Franschhoek, Wildeberg is a breathtakingly beautiful place to visit. Have a tasting and stay a night or two to watch the clouds move over the dramatic Drakenstein range into Franschhoek Valley.

Robertson

The Robertson region is about a 3 hour drive from Cape Town. Along the way there are some extraordinary examples of geological formations to see as you drive through the Hottentot Holland Mountains and alongside the Langeberg on the banks of the Breede river. 

Succulent Restaurant at Mo and Rose guest house has one of most unique settings for a restaurant I have ever experienced. Set in it's own botanical gardens of what must be one of the largest private collections of cacti in South Africa, this restaurant and hotel must be added to your itinerary if you are remotely interested in the floral world. 

De Wetshof Estate

Danie De Wet brought Chardonnay to South Africa and it has found a home in the Limestone rich soils of Robertson. Dubbed as South Africa's answer to Chablis and Burgundy - the De Wet family make some gorgeous wines in very different styles, from their Bon Vallon, crisp and unoaked Chardonnay to their Bateleur which is rich, textured and buttery.

As I said earlier, these are just a few of the amazing places that I recommend visiting. Yet to be mentioned are the beautiful regions of  Elgin, Hemel en Aarde, Wellington, Paarl, Darling and Swartland which all deserve highlighting.

Watch this space for a report on my next trip to the Western Cape in September 2025 when I will be attending the Cape Wine Expo in Cape Town. Until then Hamba kakuhle (Xhosa) and reis goed (Afrikaans)!

Penny Edwards