Winelands

FULL DAY (sample itinerary)

Tour route & highlights:

Wine lover or not, a visit to the Cape Winelands is an absolute must, as the region is one of breath-taking vistas and majestic mountain backdrops steeped in rich culture and history. Rolling vineyards and quaint Cape Dutch homesteads await you, as well as award-wining wine farms offering some of the country’s best white and red wines. The Cape Winelands are divided into various different regions, each offering their own wine route.

Our full day Cape Winelands Tour takes you around two of the most popular wine regions in the Western Cape, namely Somerset West and Stellenbosch. Franschhoek can be added onto this itinerary, if we skip a wine farm in Somerset West or Stellenbosch and extend the tour by another hour.

We collect you at your hotel and drive out of Cape Town on the N2 highway towards the winelands. Our first stop is Vergenoegd wine estate to view their unique duck run and sample their selection of white wines. Thereafter we make our way to Somerset West and the scenic Waterkloof Wine Estate, a magnificent hilltop winery atop the Schapenberg Hills with stunning views of False Bay. We sample their world-class wines and then move onto the magnificent Lourensford wine farm closeby, which has a proud history and winemaking tradition to sample their range of excellent reds and whites. After lunch at Lourensford, we drive to Stellenbosch and into the panoramic Helshoogte Mountain Pass to visit Delaire Graff Estate, nestled between majestic mountains, to sample their award-winning wines. We conclude this tour at the modern Tokara winery, on the southern slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain outside Stellenbosch, to sample their array of wines.

A bit about our stops:

Vergenoegd

Our first stop on this 100-mile trip takes you to Vergenoegd wine estate to view their daily duck run ritual with a glass of their Runner Duck wine. Their 1070 strong flock of Indian Runner Ducks line up in eager anticipation of their day in the vineyards to assist in the control of the snail and pest population in the vineyards. It is an amazing sight worth seeing and unique.

Somerset West

The magnificent Helderberg range of mountains looks out over Somerset West. Each wine route has its own charm and characteristics, but the Somerset West wine route has gorgeous wine estates at the foot of the Helderberg and Schapenberg mountains, serving mouthwatering wines. This wine region is often referred to as South Africa’s premium red wine area. Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are popular wine blends in the Somerset West area due to the warm ocean influence, moderate rainfall and sheltered grounds in the shadow of the Hottentots Holland mountain range.

Waterkloof

We make our way to Waterkloof, the magnificent hilltop winery atop the Schapenberg Hills with its stunning views of False Bay. Encased in a contemporary glass and concrete sphere, their ‘Cellar in the Sky’ contains a magnificent barrel maturation cellar, a state-of-the-art gravitational cellar, a modern tasting room and a glass box fine-dining restaurant featuring the uninterrupted mountain, vineyard and ocean views of Waterkloof’s amphitheatre setting. The Waterkloof range epitomises the estate’s goal of producing truly ﬁne, “world-class” wines. The wine is made from two exposed blocks at the top of the Schapenberg and is only made in excellent vintages. Unusually for Sauvignon Blanc, it is a wine capable of ageing for many years. You won’t taste another Sauvignon Blanc like it! They also have their Circumstance range of wines, as well as their Circle of Life wines.

Lourensford

After a short drive through Somerset West, we make our way to Lourensford wine farm.

Lourensford Estate was once part of neighboring Vergelegen, which was established by Willem Adriaan van der Stel in 1709 and this magnificent Estate has a proud history as a world class fruit farm and the winemaking tradition was revived in 1998. One of the world’s most beautiful wine estates, Lourensford is a visual feast with 4000 hectares of forest, fynbos, fruit orchards, vineyards and mountains. Their ultra-modern winery was erected in 2002 and produces a range of excellent reds and whites, as well as a honey liquor that tastes like heaven!

Delaire Graff

Delaire Graff Estate (Delaire means ‘from the sky’) is nestled between majestic mountains in the crest of the panoramic Helshoogte Mountain Pass and overlooks the vineyards of Stellenbosch. The incredible views provide the perfect backdrop to their state-of-the-art winery. The combination of maritime and mountain is a very unique terroir, and in Stellenbosch it creates the award-winning Delaire Graff wines. A cooling Atlantic sea breeze washes over the steeply sloping vineyards giving it a rich intensity of fruit. Delaire Graff wines rank among the most prestigious in the Southern Hemisphere. Their unique terroir ensures a long, slow ripening season and world-class clarets and red wines big in structure with soft tannins and elegance. Their white wines capture the freshness of the harvest, while irresistible Rosé and a sparkling Brut completes an elegantly balanced portfolio. They are proud to have achieved First Growth status in South Africa – reward for creating SA’s most desirable wines on first pressing.

Tokara

Tokara winery, on the southern slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain outside Stellenbosch, is nestled among vineyards and olive groves on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass with sweeping views across False Bay and all the way to Table Mountain. It is a picture perfect destination which offers visitors a unique combination of award-winning wines, brandy and olive oils and a gallery of fine art. Tokara prides itself on making wines that are site specific, innovative and distinctive. The winery’s operational layout incorporates cutting-edge technologies and computerized control systems to ensure all their wines meet high standards of excellence.

Rate includes registered local Tourist Guide; Driver, Gas & Vehicle and Wine Tastings, and excludes Lunch and other refreshments (other than the wine tastings included).

Proposed itinerary and timing

09:30 Collect guests from accommodation, travel outward-bound on N2 highway towards Stellenbosch

10:00 – 11:00 First stop at Vergenoegd for a wine tasting & viewing of Duck parade

11:00 – 11:30 Travel to Waterkloof Wine Estate in Somerset West

11:30 – 12:00 Visit Waterkloof Wine Estate for wine tasting

12:00 – 12:15 Drive through Somerset West to Lourensford Wine Estate

12:15 – 14:00 Wine tasting and lunch at Lourensford Wine Estate

14:00 – 14:30 Drive to Stellenbosch (30 minutes)

14:30 – 15:30 Wine tasting at Delaire Graff wine estate

15:30 – 16:30 Wine tasting at Tokara

16:30 – 17:15 Drive back to Cape Town (45 minutes)

17:15 Return to your accommodation in Cape Town.