The Cape Winelands and Wine Routes

The bulk of South Africa's wine, comes from the Cape Winelands which includes the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Wellington and Paarl.

Falling just outside this area are the estates of the Constantia Valley and Durbanville areas.

The Elgin Wine Route is a new Wine Route and lies just outside the Cape Peninsula in the Elgin Valley.

Once just a collection of independent wineries, each doing their own thing, the Winelands have become more user-friendly, with the formation of the following Wine Routes:

• Constantia Valley Wine Route
• Durbanville Wine Route
• Elgin Wine Route
• Franschhoek Wine Route
• Paarl Wine Route
• Stellenbosch Wine Route

It makes good marketing sense for the wine producers and it's also easier for you because the various cellars are well sign-posted.

But the Cape Winelands is not only about wine any more! 
Many of the wine estates have begun adding olives and cheeses and offering guided tours, gift shops, play parks, museums and restaurants.  

At some of the small estates however, you may still end up sitting in a cellar, sipping wines with the wine maker himself!

Just to add a little more choice, I'm also including the brandy route to this page. :-)

A word of caution: The legal blood alcohol limit in South Africa is 0.05g per 100ml of blood.

Please use a driver or the sober buddy system when planning a wine tasting. 

To make your decision of which estate to visit easier, I've compiled my Top 15 Wine Estates list. These are personal favorites, with many many many more estates that would also be worth a visit.

1. Babylonstoren
2. Blaauwklippen
3. De Grendel
4. Fairview
5. Groot Constantia
6. J.C. Le Roux
7. Laborie
8. La Motte
9. Lanzerac
10. Lourensford
11. Nederburg
12. Solms Delta
13. Spier
14. Steenberg
15. Van Ryn Brandy Cellar

The Wine Routes

Constantia Valley Wine Route

The fertile Constantia Valley is the birthplace of the wine farming industry in South Africa.
Discover the delights on offer on each of the five vineyards.

Groot Constantia | Buitenverwachting | Steenberg

Durbanville Wine Route

The Durbanville Wine Valley consists of nine wineries, each offering the finest in wines, and complemented with great restaurants and intimate country kitchens.

Altydgedacht | Bloemendal | D'Aria | De Grendel | Diemersdal | Durbanville Hills | Hillcrest | Meerendal | Nitida

Elgin Wine Route

The Elgin Wine Route is a new route and lies just outside the Cape Peninsula in the Elgin Valley. The town Grabouw is the centre of this area.

On the route you can expect wine tastings, hiking and mountain bike trails, cellar tours, restaurants, function venues, accommodation and a brandy distillery.

Elgin Wine Route

Cape Winelands page.

Franschhoek Wine Route

Franschhoek wine estates are situated in an incredibly beautiful valley and they produce some of the world’s finest wines.
More than 40 wineries make up this wine route.

Boschendal | Carbriere | Grande Provence | KWV Wine Emporium | La Motte | Rickety Bridge | Solms Delta

Paarl Wine Route

Estates forming the Paarl Wine Route are in an area surrounding the town of Paarl.
The town lies on the bank of the Berg River and is surrounded by the Paarl and Drakenstein Mountains.

Anura | Babylonstoren | Backsberg | Fairview | KWV Wine Emporium | Laborie | Landskroon | Nederburg | Rhebokskloof 

Stellenbosch Wine Route

Founded in 1971 The Stellenbosch Wine Route is the oldest wine route and today represents more than 200 estates.

Stellenbosch North
Delheim | Hazendal | Hoopenburg | Kanonkop | Le Bonheur | Lievland | Simonsig | Warwick Estate

Stellenbosch East
Alluvia | Lanzerac | Rustenberg | Tokara | Zorgvliet

Stellenbosch South
Blaauwklippen | Dornier | Kings Kloof | Kleine Zalze | Lourensford | Morgenster | Rust en Vrede

Stellenbosch West
Asara | The Bergkelder | JC Le Roux | Jordan | Middelvlei | Neethlingshof | Spier | Van Ryn Brandy Cellar | Vredenheim | Welmoed | Zevenwacht

Western Cape Brandy Route

The Western Cape Brandy Route is a recent innovation of the SA Brandy Foundation where one gets to taste fine local brandies and find out more about the process by which brandy is made.

Many of these brandies are still made in traditional ways using age-old traditions.

The cellars all fall within existing Wine Routes in the Cape Winelands in and around the towns of Wellington, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Grabouw.

Western Cape Brandy Route

Winelands Accommodation Map

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