Cape Winelands

For sophisticates - like myself - who have come to expect the finer things in life, the Cape Winelands are the only place to go. They cover a relatively small area of verdant valleys and vertical mountains that spring up out of the sea on the far side of the Cape Flats, about an hour east of Cape Town. Centred around the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Wellington, Worcester and Robertson, this is the heart of the South African wine industry, encompassing more than 200 wine farms. And where there is wine there is food.... You will also find the best of a myriad of excellent restaurants in this chapter. My spirits were regularly raised in the Winelands (at the expense of my liver) on return stop-offs from long journeys into the hinterland.

Like the wine, it's a region best savoured rather than knocked off in a day trip from Cape Town. Allow yourself time not only for the food and wine but also for the landscape itself. There are dramatic individual mountains such as the Simonsberg and the Helderberg, which dominate the surrounding area. And several ranges of mountains make for great walking and birding and there are plenty of well-mapped footpaths available for burning off any overindulgence. Alternatively, make the most of the views by driving to the top of the Franschhoek or Bainskloof passes.

Teetotallers come for the history. The Winelands became one of the early beneficiaries of an expanding Cape Colony when Cape Governor Simon van der Stel first ventured here in the 1670s, modestly dubbing the area Van der Stel's Bush (which became Stellenbosch). Today there's a grand old gabled Cape Dutch house at every turn (of which more later) and many of these now operate as guest houses.

Accommodation in Cape Winelands
Things to do in Cape Winelands