Cape Wine Estates

Well Known Cape Wine Estates

Many of the more popular Cape Wine Estates positively bustle with the crowds of summertime, and some patience may be required if you are visiting during the holiday season. Most wine estates are open to the public during normal trading hours. Some of the smaller ones are accessible by appointment only.

©Chris Daly
Newton Johnson Vineyards and Valley.

Spier is a large complex that has a manor house, rose garden, restaurant, cheetah park and an open-air amphitheatre that is home to a prestigious annual cultural festival, and they also make wine. 

Fairview is known for its good wines, a variety of excellent cheeses and their resident goats who live in a tower. 

Backsberg has an interesting self-guided cellar tour with interpretive video displays. 

Simonsig lets you picnic on the grounds and has a small playground for the kids.

Boschendal is an old Huguenot estate dating back to 1685, with a homestead that was built in 1812. It was bought by Cecil John Rhodes in 1887, and the estate has been restored over the years by its subsequent owners. Buffet lunches, an upmarket café and the named ‘le pique nique’ are all available.

Babylonstoren is one of the oldest farms in the Western Cape, known for its majestic garden and quality fruit and wine production.

©Chris Daly
Bouchard Finlayson Wine Tasting.

For the None Wine Lover

Not a fan of wine? Well, don’t despair. There is still much to do while your partner sniffs their snifter. The Cape Wine Estates usually boast a beautiful, antique Cape Dutch Homestead and lovely gardens through which you can wander. Most Cape Wine Estates also offer a restaurant, a gift shop and a classy atmosphere for the non-drinking contingent.

Some even have wine making displays and museums for the academics. Most modern wine tasters don’t spit, they swallow; at the end of the day, the teetotaller in the group can be the designated driver back to your hotel. 

©Chris Daly
Calitzdorp Boplaas gift shop.

As for the kids, it might be a little frustrating to watch Mommy and Daddy chatting about rosé and bouquet with the knowledgeable sales staff. While some Cape Wine Estates offer playgrounds and facilities to amuse the little ones, others have no facilities to occupy the rugrats.

If you are travelling with kids and can’t leave them alone, my advice would be to leaven the wine tasting with some alternative activities available in the area, like strawberry picking and candle making. There are also farm stalls, little restaurants, craft shops and coffee shops all over the region that could break the trip. 

By David Fleminger

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