Africa, Blog, Travel

January 13, 2019

Guide to: Winelands in South Africa

Wine tasting is one of the best ways to spend a day (or two) in Cape Town. Who am I kidding? It’s the best way to spend a few days anywhere in the world. Combine top notch South African wines with the gorgeous Stellenbosch landscape and you have a truly perfect day. Stellenbosch was the first region to establish a formal winery route. There are 148 wine farms with stunning Cape Dutch houses and many with fine dining restaurants.

Cape Town Wineries Rustenberg

Our first stop along the Stellenbosch wine route was Rustenberg. It is a beautiful estate with greenery and blooming flowers. We tried 8 wines here from Chardonnay, Shiraz, Merlot and Savignon Blanc to their unique blends. The somalier here knew her stuff. We learned about the variety of tastes and aromas, as well as how the temperature of wine affects it’s taste and aroma. After our tasting, we wandered through the estate. It’s just stunning!

Cape Town Wineries Rustenberg with Mom

From Rustenberg, we made our way to Long Table, a fine dining restaurant at Haskell Vineyards. I hate to pick favorites and all, but this absolutely makes it into my top 10 favorite meals. As you enter you slowly begin to see the beautiful mountainous backdrop over the porch. Each of our plates was perfectly paired with wine. We each tasted an assortment of dishes. My personal favorites were the pork belly and truffle risotto. Although, I heard the line fish was spectacular. The best part of Long Table is that it is indoor/outdoor with no separation on pretty days. Whether on the patio or inside, you get to soak in the Stellenbosch beauty.

Cape Town Wineries Haskell Vineyards Long Table

We still had one last stop on our grand tour-de-wines, Morgenster Estate. Here, we did an olive oil tasting as well as a wine tasting. I knew the group was in for a treat with the olive oil tasting because to taste, you drink the olive oil straight. You do not dip bread into the olive oil. It is a very unique experience! We quickly moved onto the wine tasting. My favorite wine here was the Morgenster Sauvignon Blanc. We took our wine outside to enjoy yet another stunning backdrop. Something about the mountains at each of these estates gives it a grandiose beauty. And so concluded our glorious wine day.

Cape Town Wineries Rustenberg Estate
Cape Town Wineries Rustenberg Estate Views

Wining and dining isn’t the only thing we did in Cape Town. Check out our 7 Top Things to do in Cape Town to see more of what this amazing city has to offer.  

If you’re interested in planning a full itinerary with us to South Africa, don’t hesitate to reach out via our planning form here.

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