The Cape Winelands are vast and travellers should plan their
visits properly. The main wine route areas are Stellenbosch, Paarl
and Wellington, and Franschhoek. Somerset West is also a great
wine-making region. Visitors can't go wrong with any of these
options, which all feature quaint old towns as well as beautiful
scenery and famously good wines.
In Stellenbosch, favourite estates include Spier, Meerlust,
Simonsig, Waterford, Rust en Vrede (1694), and Rustenberg (1682).
Paarl and Wellington highlights include Fairview, Laborie, Doolhof,
and Diemersfontein. In Franschhoek, La Motte is a treat, while in
Somerset West, Vergelegen and Morgenster are genuinely special.
Cape Town's City Sightseeing tourist buses offer a hop-on,
hop-off wine-tasting route, though serious wine enthusiasts should
consider purchasing a guide prior to exploring the winelands. They
could prove immensely useful, with many documenting all the wines
of the South African industry and providing some background and
maps for each estate.
Most of the famous estates are open on weekends, but some of the
smaller ones are only open during the week. For this reason, it is
best to plan a wine route for a week day if possible.