The trouble with Stellenbosch is that it is so gorgeous, everyone wants to go there. Over the holiday period, it becomes extremely busy: you queue at wineries, restaurants are full and there is no parking. None of this seems to put off the visitors; they still stream in each year.
Don’t get me wrong: I am totally in love with the place. I work here, and I marvel each day at my good luck. It is beautiful all year round, and one never tires of the juxtaposition of mountains, vineyards, oaks and classic Cape Dutch architecture.
But there are some other parts of the winelands that are also interesting and beautiful, where visitors will feel less crowded. So, unless you are planning to visit particular cellars in Stellenbosch because they make your favourite wine, here are some suggestions for alternative wine routes — interesting, beautiful and off the well-worn track.
About one and a half hours from Cape Town, up the east coast towards Hermanus. The drive itself can be part of the fun. Take the coastal road from Gordon’s Bay through Rooi Els and Betty’s Bay for spectacular scenery to rival the Chapman’s Peak Drive, and come back via Sir Lowry’s Pass, or vice versa.
There are eight wineries to see, including De Rust near Sir Lowry’s Pass, which is more than you can comfortably manage in a day. Your choice is between the bigger, more established ones like Hamilton Russell Vineyards and Bouchard Finlayson at Walker Bay, near Hermanus, both with excellent wines; or smaller cellars around Bot River like Beaumont (only two wines), Goedvertrouw Estate (three wines), Whalehaven (where Storm Kreusch-Dau, ex-Hamilton Russell, makes the wines and is a shareholder), and tiny Hermanusrivier producing fewer than 300 cases a year.
Wildekrans, bigger in size and range, also offers arranged pre-lunches and dinners, for those who like the idea of eating out in the country, as a change to Hermanus restaurants. Lovely and historic fruit farm De Rust in Elgin is also worth a visit, for Paul Cluver’s distinctive wines.
But don’t forget to make an appointment, especially for the smaller cellars: they are usually family run and don’t have the staffing to handle unscheduled visits.
I SUSPECT it is the distance that has previously kept people away, but the Du Toit’s Kloof tunnel has reduced the drive to well under two hours from Cape Town.
On the edge of the Karoo and, therefore, with different scenery to the other wine areas, and yet still dramatic and photogenic, Robertson has among the nicest wine people in the Cape. The mountains are still there, but as peripheral scenery, not intertwined with the vineyards. The wineries are spread across a broad valley, irrigated by the Breede River. There is just a hint of Africa here, which only Robertson and the Klein Karoo seem to have of all the wine districts.
The area is famous for its racehorses and better known for its white wines than red, but there are nevertheless some respectable reds being produced. Robertson put Colombard on the map, and now has its own classic blend — Colombard/ Chardonnay as opposed to the Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay (or vice versa) produced elsewhere in the Cape.
All the 21 producers open to the public in the broader Robertson/Ashton/Bonnievale areas are worth a visit, but a few deserve special mention. De Wetshof, of course, with the largest Chardonnay range in South Africa; Zandvliet for both its Shiraz and stud farm; Graham Beck Winery for good Cap Classiques, among other wines from Peter Ferreira; and the unmissable duo, Weltevrede and Van Loveren. Both have big, diverse ranges of wines, including sumptuous fortifieds.
All in all, an area of good, relatively inexpensive wines and friendly, talented and innovative winemakers. You’ll leave with a smile on your face.
How far you go depends on how much time you have, or how early you start. On the assumption that you will not be spending the night there, my suggestions relate to day-drives only.
One of the greatest charms of the West Coast is all the other attractions, besides wine, it has to offer. Parts of it (around Langebaan) look like Greece; it has a wide variety of seafood, including crayfish, a local speciality. Fruit abounds; there are beautiful nature reserves, lakes and marshes full of birdlife like flamingoes; and the dramatic Cedarberg Mountains are a hiker’s paradise.
An area of mainly co-ops, offering among the best value-for-money wines in the country (rivalling Worcester), I would suggest making Lambert’s Bay (about 2,5 hours’ drive) your furthest destination. It falls just short of the main cluster of Olifantsrivier co-ops, but the area is too big to fit everything into a day.
Lambert’s Bay is an unspoilt fishing village and near it, around Eland’s Bay to the south, lie bird lakes and pans. From here, Cedarberg Cellars, high in the Cedarberg Mountains, is a recommended stop, as much for the scenery as its red wines.
Heading back towards Cape Town, there is a co-op cellar at Piketberg and Porterville, and another three around Malmesbury at Riebeek Kasteel, on the road to Darling, and five kilometres from Malmesbury itself. The latter, Swartland Cellars, is a multiple award-winner and offers a wide, good-quality range of wines, including full-bodied reds, distinctive of the area. There is only one estate here, Allesverloren, justifiably famous for its port and red wines, but visits are by appointment only.
Don’t travel up the West Coast without visiting Langebaan. Surrounded by nature reserves, the large, beautiful lagoon is the main attraction.
Christine Rudman is principal of the Cape Wine Academy, a Cape Wine Master and author of A Guide to the Winelands of the Cape.