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South Africa has become well known for many great things, one of which is her vineyards in the Western Cape. The origins dating back to the first Dutch settlements in the late 1600’s, and since producing some of the finest wine the world over. Join us to visit a few of the top wine farms, owned and operated by some of our very own champions.
Family haven
Nestled in the picturesque Blaauwklippen Valley, in the world-renowned Stellenbosch region, this 120-hectare property boasts ancient citrus groves, rolling lawns, water features and fragrant lavender beds.
The winery was designed by winemaker Kevin Arnold and architect Alex Walker and built from table mountain sandstone from the vineyard land and timber grown on the estate. It was styled along the engaging terracotta design of a meditteranean winery. The centre piece of the magnificent courtyard is the Waterford fountain. This feature has been immortalized in the Waterford label and represents a fundamental component of their philosophy.
The Waterford wine experience not only introduces a range of limited world class wines to visitors, it also reflects the ethos and passion of its owners, offering guests a chance to share in a unique lifestyle and discover the heart and soul of Waterford Estate.
Estate of mind
Rust en Vrede has stood for 315 years on the slopes of the Stellenbosch mountains.
The first family- owned wine farm to specialize in the exclusive production of quality red wine only, Rust en Vrede is now South Africa’s Premium red wine Estate.
The full-bodied, oak matured wines are a manifestation of the supremacy of the Stellenbosch region when it comes to the making of truly great red wines. All the vines are of virus free clone material and grapes are hand selected and picked at optimum ripeness. We have been producing quality wines since 1979 and house the first underground cellar in the country. We were the only 10th wine estate to be established in Stellenbosch and are proud of our history in as much as we are proud to be writing history right now!
Wine Maker: Coenie Snyman
Anthonij Rupert
From its home base on historic L’Ormarins wine farm beneath the jagged peaks of the Groot Drakenstein mountain in Franschhoek, Anthonij Rupert Wines has cast its net wide, across the length and breadth of the Cape winelands, in search of what it takes to make the finest wines this corner of the winemaking world has to offer.
L'Ormarins is the main estate in the group of farms in the Franschhoek area. The vineyards are planted mainly on the slopes of the Groot Drakenstein Mountains where the granite soils produce strong expressive wines.
At the heart of Anthonij Rupert Wines lies the fundamental belief that the source of supreme wine quality lies in the land; that a specific terroir, with soil and climate working together to capture the essence of each particular grape variety, dictates the style of wine that speaks powerfully of the highest quality and most genuine character. In the cellars, the fruit from the vines are treated with the highest level of care through the winemaking process to create a wine that is true to the natural characteristics of the grapes from the vines.
The big easy
In 1999, Jean and Ernie established Engelbrecht Els Vineyards and in December 2004, opened their dream cellar on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch.
The idea was born from a long-standing friendship between Ernie and Jean Engelbrecht and based on the vision to produce a wine that would capture everything that Ernie stands for: big in stature and gentle in character.
Embracing the talents of winemaker Louis Strydom, who has produced the only South African wine to be nominated four years consecutively as one of the Top 100 wines in the world, they created the Ernie Els wine, a classic Bordeaux blend comprising of five varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
Wine Maker: Louis Strydom
The oldest of them all
Discover Cape Town’s most intimate wine route and learn about the history of the oldest wine-growing area in Southern Africa. Find everything you need to plan a visit, from places to stay, eat and shop to things to see and do We use the name Constantia Valley in the broader sense, being the Valley stretching from the Wynberg hill in the north to the Silvermine mountains (the Tokai area) in the south. The Table Mountain National Park borders the Valley to the west and for the purpose of this website we use the Main Road as the eastern border.
“Every stranger who arrives at the Cape…makes a point of visiting the Village of Constantia and those famous wine plantations; for these with the Table Mountain are looked upon as the great and first objects of curiosity at the Cape” (Robert Percival, English officer arriving in the Cape in 1796)
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