Robertson is one of the most beautiful valleys in South Africa. Its flower-lined highways weave in and out of everything from giant producers to tiny family-run operations— the valley is bursting with every style of wine you can imagine! In one day, we took in the epic Arabella, with a capacity of 1.6 million litres; the boutique Bon Cap, an organic vineyard whose family character is stamped all over the wine; and
Bon Courage’ s Rosé Cap Classique is arriving this summer: great bubbles at a great price.
a few wineries in between those extremes! The people of Robertson are welcoming, and the styles of wines range from Cap Classique( sparkling) to rich, spicy Shiraz.
Stellenbosch is yet another example of the diversity within South Africa ' s wine regions. We travelled from wineries cradled on the valley floor to those that ran right up the side of a mountain. Stellenbosch is so close to Cape Town that it seems as though the vineyards are in the suburbs themselves! In Stellenbosch, Shiraz and Cabernet reign; however, it is worth noting that the first-ever sparkling wine produced on the Cape, Kaapse Vonkel( Cape Sparkler) is produced at
Simonsig’ s beautiful estate, where modern technology meets family values in the winemaking process.
No wine pilgrimage would be complete without visiting the roots of the wine industry in South Africa. Klein Constantia is snuggled in the picturesque suburb of Constantia on the backside of Table Mountain. The winery dates back to the early 1700s and their sweet Vin de Constance was the favourite of both Napoleon and Frederick the Great.
At every turn in South Africa, there are more wineries popping up— each with something innovative to offer the wine world.
Simonsig offers great value for price at any quality range; Thelema’ s The Mint Cabernet was the most distinct wine of the trip; and the unique wines of Post House are worth mentioning, as we have never seen such a hands-on operation( literally, only two hands).
What we found unique about South Africa was South Africa itself. Neither New World nor Old World, it is simply South African in style, and that is as diverse as it gets.
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The regions of South Africa( Courtesy of Wines of South Africa)