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​Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting in South Africa

Our driver appeared at 9am to collect us, which seemed far to early to go wine tasting but as the Cape Winelands are a 45 minute drive from central Cape Town at least we had a little while to let our breakfasts settle down.

We headed first to the historic town of Stellenbosch and the Klein Zalze Vineyard, we had already worked out a list of which estates we wanted to visit, but equally most guides are happy to suggest places and plan a route for you, if you aren’t familiar with places. Klein Zalze is located just off the main road that runs into Stellenbosch in a small valley with stunning views across De Zalze Golf Course. It is well known for its fruity white wines and at little over £3 a bottle it was a bargain we couldn’t resist.

  • Another reason why we chose this estate was because we knew that they offered cheese platters to go with the wine, at a small extra cost, and we thought this would be a sensible idea to soak up some of the wine, before the late lunch that we had planned. The estate also has a large shady terrace that offers lunches, it is advisable to book, and although we didn’t try the food, the menu boards had us all salivating over the dishes.

    From Klein Zalze we travelled onto Vrede en Rust (Peace and Quiet) which is a wine estate famous for high quality red wines. The estate lies up on the side of the Helderberg Mountain range, some distance from the town and is set in tranquil gardens with the traditional Cape Dutch architecture. Some of our group are particular red wine connisseurs and the wine here was voted the best South African red wine that they had ever tasted (but it came with a top class price as well!) The estate has the distinction of being in the Top 100 best red wine estates and the Top 100 restaurants in the world.

    From Vrede en Rust we passed through the town of Stellenbosch and onto the Helsghote Pass that runs between the mountains in the direction of Franschhoek.

Half way along the pass is the Delaire Graff Wine Estate that was to be our next stop and lunch venue. The estate produces both red and white and we chose a particularly smooth Sauvignon Blanc to accompany our lunch. The estate is a member of the Relais and Chateau group which ensures that the hospitality is of the very highest order. The food and service were excellent but what we really went for was the view. This has to be the best view in South Africa – mountains, vines, blue skies, it was a glorious backdrop to a wonderful couple of hours.

Our lunch ran late and we decided we only had time (and room) for one more stop. We had chosen Noorhoek, a small boutique wine estate on the road from Stellenbosch out towards Paarl. It was located in another valley in the Simonsberg Mountain range and once again offered stunning views and a relaxed tranquil setting as we tasted a range of red, white and sparkling wines.

All the estates make a nominal charge for the tastings, but if you purchase wine then this is normally dropped. Expect to pay between £3 and £5 for a tasting depending on how many you want to try. Some offer wine platters as well which is charged extra.

Our group had been wine tasting before in South Africa and knew what they wanted to see. Most organised tours will have a set route which also includes a cellar tour where you can have a guided tour around the winery and see how it is made. If you are on a private tour, you can tell the guide which kinds of wine you prefer and he can tailor the tour to your preference.