The scenic Cape wine routes offer some of the finest scenary and wineries in the world and wine tourism has become a generous percentage of overall tourism in South Africa. spending a few days meandering along the Cape wine route will definitely settle in your mind as one of your travel highlights.
- Visit the Constantia wine route which is just 15 minutes from the city centre but transports the visitor into an area of timeless beauty that shows off some of the finest Cape architecture and of course some of the Cape’s finest wine!
- Combine the Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl wine routes into one route or give each Cape wine route area its own merit and visit them one by one. Each part of the Cape wine route has its own unique blend of local flavour, magnificent wine estates, delicious top-class restaurants and friendly people.
- You will leave the Cape wine route as a wine expert! Tastings are available from Monday – Saturday (most big estates are also open on Sundays in high season) and are free at most estates or a nominal fee is charged for tasting.
The first wine route in the Cape was established in 1971 in Stellenbosch due to the popularity of the area as a tourist attraction. This owed mainly to the fact that after Cape Town, Stellenbosch was the second oldest European settlement in South Africa. The town of Stellenbosch is quaint and well kept and many of the original buildings remain in good condition. The University of Stellenbosch, dating back to 1863, is one of the best academic institutions in the country and also adds to the charm of this wineland town. Daily wine tastings, tours of the cellars and wine sales are all part of a visit to the Cape and indeed the Stellenbosch wine route. The cherry on the top is enjoying a freshly prepared picnic or delicious meal at one of the many wine estate picnic spots or restaurants.
Restored Cape Dutch homesteads, impressive backdrops of rugged mountains and fertile valleys of vineyards are the common appeal of all of the Cape wine routes. Traditionally the Cape wine route is seen as the various routes that take the wine connoisseur (or those seeking an education!) passed the well-known areas and estates in
Stellenbosch,
Franschhoek,
Paarl and Wellington.
Often overlooked is the
Constantia wine route which is rich in heritage and natural beauty and rests gently in a valley of mountains just 15 minutes drive from the centre of Cape Town. The Groot Constantia estate is one of the finest examples of Cape Dutch architecture, has magnificent scenary and restaurants, a wine museum and of course some luscious wines for tasting and purchase.
Other lesser explored Cape wine routes include the routes that take you past the cellars in Durbanville, Darling and Walker Bay. Exploring any of these wine routes is not only a great excuse to sample more of the variety of the Cape wine industry but also allows the traveller to explore the details of the Cape and the contrasting scenary. The Walker Bay wine route lies in the Hemel en Aarde Valley near Hermanus and can easily compliment your visit to the Hermanus coast to view the southern right whales that visit the bay between August and November to calve.
Suffice to say that the Cape wine country extends over a huge area, from the northern West Coast region on the Atlantic coast to the semi desert areas of the Klein Karoo. Well over 100 000 hectares of vineyards are cultivated in close on 600 wine cellars and estates. The possibilities of exploring the Cape wine routes are endless and a trip to the Cape and indeed South Africa would be most incomplete without exploring their rich, fertile and prospering viticulture industry.
