Pam’s Favourite Cape Wine Estates
Below are some of my favourite wine estates, most are included as they offer some of the best wine in the Cape, others because they are a great experience to visit, some because they offer both! This list will help you to plot out your visit to the Cape Winelands.
It is best to plan your day out in the winelands on a weekday – it is quieter and they are all open on weekdays!
For a serious wine enthusiast, I would highly recommend purchasing a John Platters wine guide prior to setting out on your winelands adventures. This guide is immensely useful as they taste & rate most of the South African wines, provide you with some background on each estate and maps.
Note appointments are generally not needed at most of our wine estates – if they are required I will advise below.
Stellenbosch Wine Region
Stellenbosch is recognized as one of our best red wine regions in the country. This region is divided into separate wards as the terroir changes quite a lot from one ward to another.
Paarl & Wellington Wine Region
Be sure to visit one of the “must do” destinations Fairview that became famous for its goats cheeses in the 1980’s and today they have expanded into cow’s milk cheeses.
Franschhoek Wine Region
It is known as the “gourmet capital” of the country and it is well worth settling in here for a few days to use it as a base for wine tasting and for enjoying some of the country’s top restaurants.
Durbanville Wine Region
This is a small wine region that is very close to Cape Town city and is technically part of Cape Town. The area is close to Table Bay and as such receives the cool sea breezes.
Constantia Wine Region
This is the most easily accessible wine region from the city area of Cape Town. In off peak times it takes about 15 minutes to get there. This region gets the wonderful cool sea breezes of False Bay and as such is a cool wine region.
Peninsula Wine Region
The peninsula is a cool wine region and as a result they have mainly focused on white varietals – with excellent results. It is well worth the journey to taste these excellent wines.
Elgin Wine Region
When planning your trip, note that Elgin is en route to Hermanus – as such it makes perfect sense to pop in and explore the beautiful Elgin region if you are planning to go to Hermanus to spend the night.
Hemel-en-Aarde Wine Region
This valley is famous for its chardonnay and pinot noir. Note that not many estates produce pinot noir in the Cape – so if you are a pinot noir fan – this is the main region you should visit while in the Cape.