Wine, wine and more wine could well be the reason to base yourself in the centre of Stellenbosch and then head off to the surrounding farms.
There are 150-plus wine farms in the region to choose from.
I was visiting Stellenbosch with my better half, who is a qualified tour guide wanting to specialise in wine tourism.
Little did I know that his research would have me visiting dozens of wine estates so that by the end of day one my head was swimming, sadly not with wine, but with an overload of information.
By day two I was “wined-out”.
Stellenbosch has many claims to fame.
It’s the second oldest town in SA. Stellenbosch University is the only university which offers a degree in viticulture and oenology, having produced many of the country’s most successful winemakers.
People visit Stellenbosch for its renowned wine route, but also the historic town centre and beautiful natural surroundings.
Stellenbosch is not the largest in terms of how much land is actually under vine because Worcester claims this spot, but Stellies does have the most wine farms, making it the centre of wine tourism in SA.
Simon van der Stel discovered it in 1679 and six years later founded the village of Stellenbosch.
The area is famous for its well-preserved Cape Dutch architecture of the 17th century characterised by whitewashed walls, thatched roofs, and decorative gables.
It came to be a major wine-producing region thanks to Huguenot refugees from France in the 17th century.
They brought with them the vine and the know-how.
My guide wanted to visit as many wine farms as possible, so set aside at least two days if you want to make a dent in the wine farms around the area because each has its own charm.
Be warned that for overseas tourists, the fees charged for wine tastings and meals may be negligible, but these costs quickly add up for locals.
Gone are the days when wine farms happily gave tastings in the hope it would entice sales.
Nowadays, the average price for a tasting is around R150, without snacks.
Food offerings at wine farms are not cheap.
You can bank on a hamburger in the range of R200 while the charcuterie and cheese platters for two, start at around R300.
A couple of the wine farms’ cellar prices are also the same as in a bottle store.
Good news is that the Stellenbosch Wine Route has broken its epic wine offering into five areas, which is nifty because you can group them in batches without long drives and distances between them — Bottelary Hills, Greater Simonsberg, Helderberg, Stellenbosch Berg and Stellenbosch Valley are the wine areas.
The region is known for its world-class wines, particularly cabernet sauvignon versions which travel the world, but sauvignon blanc, shiraz and chenin blanc also thrive.
Stellenbosch is also notable for being the birthplace of pinotage.
Yonder Hill belongs to Daniel Naude who is a celebrated photographer.
Yonder Hill specialises in red wines and the flagship blend is called Ankole after his cattle herd.
There’s a lovely vibe here, not pretentious, not hectically expensive.
Uva Mira wine farm is the highest, at 620m above sea level.
The pièce de résistance here are the views of the Helderberg mountains and on a clear day you can see as far as Table Mountain and False Bay.
The wines grow on different slopes which gives some more sun, others more of a sea breeze, resulting in a range of wines from a chardonnay to a Bordeaux blend and others.
Toby Venter, CEO of Porsche, Bentley, and Lamborghini in SA, owns the classy Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards.
Ernie Els wine farm has panoramic views of Cape Town and Table Mountain. You enter the building via grand granite boulders.
This golfer cares about his wines, but it’s also homely with an expansive tasting-room, big restaurant and hearty-type food.
You can hit a golf ball here from a tee right in front of the restaurant.
Rust en Vrede was the first wine farm in Stellenbosch to focus on red varietals and has a rich history of 300 years of winemaking.
It’s especially gorgeous in autumn.
Blaauwklippen is one of the earliest wine farms, founded three years after the foundation of Stellenbosch itself.
The oldest buildings on the farm are between 250 and 300 years old.
Rather than having the tasting room in one area, Blaauwklippen has several options, including a wine tasting in the IS Art Gallery.
Klein Zalze is an award-winning winery situated about 3km from the town.
Winemaking has been happening here since 1695.
In 1996 Kobus Basson and family bought the farm and since then it’s been modernised.
Waterford Estate is beautiful. Located in the picturesque Blaauwklippen Valley, the estate has the Helderberg mountain range as a backdrop.
The cabernet sauvignon is world famous.
It’s not all that casual here so, for example, The Cellar Collection wine tasting costs R595 per person.
Try three Waterford wines with handcrafted chocolates. It costs R165 per person.
Dornier Wine Estate is situated at the foot of Stellenbosch Mountain. Their focus is on red and white wines.
What sets them apart is that it’s laid-back. They offer a Classic Wine Tasting of six wines for R95.
The slopes of DeMorgenzon are nearly 400m above sea level with Cape Town, mountains and the ocean as a backdrop.
The winemakers believe grapes grow better if they are exposed to music so since 2009, baroque and early classical music is played to the vines, day and night.
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