SOME OF THE BEST WINERIES AROUND CAPE TOWN

Some of the Best Wineries around Cape Town

Along with world-class vino, the Cape’s wine routes deliver breathtaking beauty, eye-catching architecture—heritage Cape Dutch manor houses alongside ultra-modern cellars—and a generous dollop of South African hospitality. Forward-thinking wineries, from Constantia to Stellenbosch, have become lifestyle destinations in their own right. Along with tutored tastings, they offer magnificent gardens, serious art collections, farm-to-table dining, and luxury digs with spas attached. It was tough to single out a handful, but this list of Cape Town’s best wine tasting rooms all are at the top of their game we think!

• Babylonstoren

This 200-hectare farm in the Drakenstein Valley, almost halfway between Franschhoek and Paarl, is owned by the inimitably stylish former magazine editor Karen Roos. It’s difficult to impart how and why this farm ticks all the sensory boxes with such easy-going aplomb. Perhaps it’s the scale of the vision: the marvel of a magnificent fruit and vegetable heritage garden around which all else circulates, and the emphasis on lovely details. There is a real sense of delight here.
The wine The farm grows 13 different grape varieties. Next to the vintage wine cellar is a tasting centre where you can enjoy 10 excellent Babylonstoren wines (the Mourvèdre Rosé goes well with summer, as does the Sprankel MCC!). There’s also a brand-new wine museum, The Story of Wine, whose visual documentary and audio guide provide a fascinating peek into the history and cultivation of wine.
The food The daytime Greenhouse Restaurant serves casual food in relaxed surrounds; the more sophisticated Babel offers farm-to-fork satisfaction.
There’s more The Farm Shop stocks freshly baked bread, a selection of cheeses, biltong and charcuterie. There is also the Scented Room, stocked with soaps, candles and bath products. Babylonstoren offers a range of workshops (such as essential-oil blending and bonsai), garden tours, and an olive oil and balsamic tour (where you blend your own). There’s also a spa and, for overnight guests, rowing on the dam, cycling around the farm and getting involved in farm activities such as the morning harvest.

Stay Immerse yourself in this garden paradise overnight: book one of the Farmhouse suites or cottages for a sumptuous yet unpretentious taste of country life.

• Boschendal

With its ancient oaks and both wild and manicured gardens, Boshendal is simply beautiful. Dating back to 1685, the estate’s scrupulously preserved heritage is palpable – most obviously in the Manor House.
The wine The farm produces most varietals, with a focus on chardonnay, shiraz and MCC. The Werf offers five different tastings with Huguenot chocolates. The heritage Rose Garden, is also open for wine tastings with food platters.
The food The Werf Restaurant does farm-to-table seasonal plates (such as tempura waterblommetijies in winter and chargrilled beetroot and smoked feta in summer). The Deli serves more casual fare.
There’s more There are five mountain-biking trails (with bikes for hire), farm hikes, garden tours and horse-riding.
The Farm Shop stocks artisanal items and food from the estate to take home. This summer, there’s a drive-in cinema and Friday night swims and markets.
Stay Luxury lodgings include cottages, Werf garden suites and a mountain villa.

•       Vergelegen

A conservationist’s paradise, the vast Vergelegen Estate in Somerset West, encircled by rugged mountains, is much more than a wine farm. You’ll spot nguni cattle grazing in pastures, rare protected fynbos amid the vineyards, and acres of carefully laid-out gardens dotted with mature trees. The centerpiece of the tasting center is a colossal table hewn from indigenous yellowwood, made by local designer Pierre Cronje, and the terrace overlooks a herb garden.

In addition to sweeping vineyards, it has no less than 17 glorious themed gardens and forests, plus a nature reserve. If that’s not reason enough to visit, there’s also the estate’s 320-year heritage.
The wine Eight varietals are grown and there are four wine ranges to taste (including their first-ever rosé). The vineyard and cellar tour is a must to see the multi-level gravity-flow cellar – and for the magnificent views from the roof.
The food The Stables is a family-friendly bistro; The River Café is a glass-walled space with a mostly seafood menu (until 24 April).
There’s more This is a history buff’s haven, with a Cape-Dutch homestead and beautiful library, the Mill Ruins and Slave Lodge. The first camphor trees were planted back in 1700.

• Anthonij Rupert

This scenic estate beneath the Groot Drakenstein Mountains has a state-of the-art winemaking facility with two tasting rooms and wonderful heritage architecture.

The Cape-Dutch Manor House is a warm and regal domain featuring wood-beam ceilings, yellowwood floors, 19th-century furnishings and period artworks.
The wine There are six wine brands, including L’Ormarins Cap Classique, one dedicated to Italian grape varietals and some including old-vine wines. There is also eau de vie and Sagnac (brandy). You can sample them in the Manor House and at the Terra del Capo Tasting Room (which also does an Italian cheese-andwine experience with imported and local cheese).
The food Terra del Capo serves superb antipasti lunches under the olive trees (with a view of the cellar through glass walls). Or book an elegant high tea in the Manor House, overlooking beautifully manicured lawns.
There’s more This is also the home of the Franschhoek Motor Museum, sure to be a hit with “kids” of all ages. An all-in-one estate voucher package includes the museum, wine tastings, lunch and a scenic tram ride.

• Leeu Estates

A whitewashed Cape Dutch–style cellar at Leeu Estates and Spa in Franschhoek is an intimate, romantic setting in which you can taste the highly rated limited-availability Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines, which are made by Chris and Andrea Mullineux in partnership with Analjit Singh, Leeu Collection’s owner. Uncluttered and stylishly spartan, the wine studio is an intimate space, with several tables for two and two large tables for 10 to 15. It’s worth peeking at the art collection, too.

• Spier Wine Farm

More of a lifestyle center than a tasting room, the spacious, light-filled Spier features long wooden tables and beautifully curated shelves with everything you need to taste and enjoy wine at home, including a selection of books, kitchenware, and, of course, the delicious bottles. With a range from affordable to special-occasion wines, Spier offers tastings that can be tailored to suit anyone’s budget and tastes. A chocolate-and-wine tasting is a surprisingly delicious diversion.

• Waterford Wine Estate

The drive through the picturesque Blaauwklippen valley, outside Stellenbosch, sets the tone for the arrival at Waterford, an unpretentious winery surrounded by Cape fynbos vegetation and mountains. Avenues of sweet-smelling citrus trees and rolling lawns invite you toward the cellar and tasting room, and a Staffordshire terrier might be basking in the sun. It feels like you’re visiting someone’s home. The excellent wines here represent the best of the region, and you can taste them inside an Italian-style winery courtyard or out in the vineyards.

• Rust en Vrede

Known for its award-winning restaurant, Rust en Vrede is an epic destination for gourmands who love fine dining. The modern winery, which has a split-level tasting room, is bedecked in classic leather and wood. A terrace beneath ancient oaks overlooks verdant lawns edged with rose bushes. The winery, which straddles traditional and cutting-edge techniques, is known for its range of reds, from full-bodied Cabernets to smooth Merlot, Shiraz, and red blends. Bonus fact: Nelson Mandela served selections from Rust en Vrede at his Nobel Peace Prize dinner.

• Cavalli Estate

At Cavalli Estate in Somerset West, glimpses of elegant race horses gambling in designer paddocks set the tone for this sleek eco-friendly architecture. Vertical gardens will catch your eye before you head down a glass lift to the subterranean wine tasting lounge, which has a bit of a nightclub-y ambience. It’s cleverly cozy in winter—there’s a great fireplace—and cool in summer. The wines here are all produced from grapes harvested in the Golden Triangle of the Stellenbosch wine region.

• Delaire Graff Estate

Delaire Graff Estate is a designer winery with wraparound mountain and valley views. The panoramic vista out front encompasses the undulating vineyards, deep valleys, and towering mountains. You’ll feel like you’ve arrived in an elegant hotel bar, one with an enviable art collection to boot—an apt setting in which to savour Delaire’s subtly nuanced, terroir-specific wines.

• Steenberg Farm – Hotel & Spa

Most wine estates boast about their age, but Steenberg actually is the oldest registered farm in the Cape. With a modern winery, a restaurant (Bistro 1682), and an edgy tasting bar and lounge, this is a multi-sensory space with earthy hues and textures, a sleek contemporary design, and cheeky details (including chandelier made from 2,800 individually hand-blown glass grapes). Fynbos gardens and flowing water form an appropriate backdrop to al fresco tastings on the shady terrace.

Content per traveller.com