South Africas Top Attractions – Cape Winelands

• By: Editor
• On: 01/Aug/2008
• In: South Africa Travel Tips

The Cape Winelands
The Winelands are the largest wine producing region in South Africa and it produces some of the finest New World Wines. The Winelands are divided into a number of regions and the 6 largest are Stellenbosch, Constantia, Franschhoek, Paarl, Robertson and Wellington.

Stellenbosch is perhaps the most famous of these regions and you may recognise some of the names produced here including Boschendal, Delheim, Delair, Spier, Saxenburg, La Motte, Chamonix and Cabriere. The village of Stellenbosch itself is a wonderfully charming village which was the second settlement founded in in the Western Cape by European settlers.

In the Constantia Valley you will find some of the oldest wine estates in the Western Cape and home to a number of award winning wines and restaurants. Historically this area is famous for is sweet dessert wine, sold under the name Constantia but today there is more variety. Most of the vineyards in the area offer wine tasting and tours so a visit to Constantia Valley is never a dull experience.

Franschhoek Valley wine was first settled by French Huguenots over 300 years ago. The Mediterranean like climate proved to be perfect for the growing of the vines they had brought with them. The other regions, Paarl, 3rd oldest settlement and largest town in the Western Cape; Robertson, a town which experimented with ostrich and stud farming but seems to have settled with grapes; and Wellington, in addition to grapes also grows citrus fruit and has a strong brandy industry as well; are all equally interesting places to visit.

That’s the end of our quick overview of what you can expect in the Cape Winelands. If you think you will want to get around by car while in South Africa have a look at our South Africa Car Hire page and have a look at our competitive rates. For some more information have a look at our other South Africa Blogs.

If you have any tips about driving in and around the Cape Winelands feel free to let us know. Just leave your message in the comment box below.