SA Wine Routes

Half the joy of heading into the winelands is discovering new places, people and wines that hit the spot. However, if you want a check-list of which cellars or sub-routes to focus on, then these are for you – see below.

Bearing in mind the tasting and travelling involved in wine-routing, it’s recommended that you choose an area and then limit the number of cellar visits to two or three – ideally in the morning and followed by lunch in the area. Remember that some wineries are not open on weekends, that many are closed on Saturday afternoons and even more are shut on Sundays – there are also those at which you need to make an appointment.

 

STELLENBOSCH

In Bottelary – Hartenberg, Kaapzicht and Bellevue or Mooiplaas.

Along the Simonsberg – Warwick, Kanonkop and Lievland, or Quoin Rock, Delheim and Muratie, or L’Avenir and Remhoogte.

In Koelenhof area – Villiera, Simonsig then Beyerskloof.

In Devon Valley – Aaldering, Clos Malverne, JC Le Roux, Louisvale.

In town – The boutique cellars at Bosman’s Crossing, with Kleine Zalze near the golf course.

In Stellenbosch Kloof – Jordan, DeMorgenzon and Super Single Vineyards.

Off Helshoogte – consider deviating to Rustenberg or Glenelly in Idas Valley, then on to Neil Ellis and Delaire Graff, Thelema and Tokara.

In Banghoek en route to Franschhoek – Zorgvliet and Bartinney, or Oldenburg and Rainbow’s End.

In Jonkershoek – Lanzerac and Stark-Condé.

Polkadraai – Boschkloof and Reyneke, Mulderbosch and De Toren

Along R310 off N2 into Stellenbosch – Meerlust, Stellenbosch Vineyards and Spier.

Off Annandale Road – Guardian Peak and Ernie Els, Hidden Valley and Uva Mira, or Alto, Stellenbosch Reserve and Rust en Vrede.

Upper Blaauwklippen Valley – Kleinood, Dornier, Waterford and De Trafford.

Off Eikendal Road – Eikendal and Longridge.

Off Winery Road – Ken Forrester and Le Riche.

SOMERSET WEST

Somerset West – Morgenster, Vergelegen and Lourensford, or Flagstone on the Strand side.

Near Sir Lowry’s Pass – Waterkloof, Journey’s End and Idiom.

PAARL

In Klapmuts area – Mount Vernon, Anura and Glen Carlou or Bacco.

In Simondium area north-west of Franschhoek – Babylonstoren, Rupert & Rothschild and Vrede en Lust or Plaisir.

Suid-Agter Paarl, against the mountain – Landskroon, Vondeling at Vrymansfontein, Spice Route and Fairview.

On the Huguenot Tunnel side of town – Nederburg and Brookdale or Avondale.

In town – Boland and KWV.

In Windmeul area – Windmeul, Ridgeback and Rhebokskloof.

In Voor-Paardeberg area – Perdeberg, The Foundry and Ayama.

WELLINGTON

Bosman, Diemersfontein, Doolhof, Wellington Wines.

FRANSCHHOEK

In the west – Allée Bleue, Boschendal and Rupert Wines.

Off R45/Main Road – La Motte, Leopard’s Leap and or Rickety Bridge, or Grande Provence and Mullineux/Leeu.

Up Uitkyk Street – Chamonix, Black Elephant, My Wyn.

South towards Franschhoek Mountains – Le Lude, Colmant and La Bri, or Holden Manz, Mont Rochelle and Boekenhoutskloof.

On the pass to Villiersdorp – Haute Cabrière and La Petite Ferme.

CAPE PENINSULA

On either side of Ou Kaapse Weg – Steenberg (Tokai) and Cape Point (Noordhoek).

Old Constantia – Buitenverwachting, Klein Constantia and Groot Constantia.

New Constantia – Eagles’ Nest, Constantia Glen and Beau Constantia.

ROBERTSON

Off R60 from Worcester – Rooiberg and Graham Beck.

Off R60 to Ashton – Rietvallei, Arabella and Ashton Kelder.

Off R317 to Bonnievale – Springfield, Bon Courage and Viljoensdrift or Van Loveren; De Wetshof, Esona and Weltevrede or Silverthorn.

To the south and McGregor – Wonderfontein (Paul René) and Lord’s.

DURBANVILLE

To the north – Meerendal, Diemersdal and Groot Phesantekraal.

To the west – Nitida, Hillcrest, Klein Roosboom, Durbanville Hills.

Central – Altydgedacht, D’Aria and Bloemendal.

Panorama – De Grendel.

DARLING

Ormonde, Cloof, Groote Post, Darling Cellars.

SWARTLAND

East of Malmesbury – Eben Sadie and Lammershoek, David & Nadia and AA Badenhorst.

In Riebeek Valley – Mullineux, Allesverloren and Pulpit Rock, or Riebeek Cellars and the boutique cellars represented at The Wine Kollective.

WALKER BAY AREA

In and around Bot River – Beaumont and Gabrielskloof, Wildekrans and Benguela Cove.

Near Hemel-en-Aarde Village – Hermanuspietersfontein and Whalehaven.

In Hemel-en-Aarde en route to Caldeon – Hamilton Russell, Bouchard Finlayson and Bartho Eksteen, Lavierge and Bosman, Newton Johnson, Restless River and Ataraxia, Des Dieux and Creation.

ELGIN

Shannon and Elgin Vintners, Oak Valley and Paul Cluver, Highlands Road and Charles Fox, Almenkerk, Spioenkop and Iona.

CAPE AGULHAS

Strandveld and Black Oystercatcher near Elim, Lomond near Gansbaai.

TULBAGH

Rijk’s and Lemberg, or Saronsberg and Krone, or Waverley Hills en route to Ceres.

BREEDEKLOOF

To the north – Jason’s Hill, Slanghoek, Opstal, Bergsig.

In the south – Daschbosch, Du Toitskloof, Deetlefs, Merwida.

WORCESTER

To the north and east – Nuy and De Wet.

To the south – Alvi’s Drift and Eagle’s Cliff.

NEAR CITRUSDAL & CLANWILLIAM

Tierhoek, Piekenierskloof, Cederberg.

OLIFANTS RIVER AREA

Klawer and Stellar; Namaqua, Teubes and Cape Rock; Lutzville and Fryer’s Cove.

KLEIN KAROO

Outside Barrydale – Joubert-Tradauw.

Calitzdorp – Boplaas, De Krans and Peter Bayly.

PLETTENBERG BAY

Bramon, Newstead and Packwood.

ELSEWHERE

George – Herold.

Herbertsdale – Jakkalsvlei.

Riversdale – Baleia

Malgas – Sijnn.

Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal – Abingdon (near Howick).

 


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