From 3 to 11 October, the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees takes over the town’s theatres, church halls, wine cellars and bars for nine days of theatre, music, comedy and conversation. With dozens of shows running across venues like Endler, Adam Small, Drostdy and the more intimate Daisy Jones Bar, the challenge isn’t finding something to see – it’s choosing what to skip.

Here are the highlights worth building your week around.

The Opener: Rapsodie vir ‘n Nuwe Wêreld

The festival kicks off on Saturday 3 October with Rapsodie vir ‘n nuwe wêreld at Endler – a 100-minute production setting an ambitious, thoughtful tone right from the first weekend.

The Marathon Night: Stellenbosch Starry Nights

If you only commit to one long evening, make it Sunday 4 October. Stellenbosch Starry Nights at Drostdy runs 150 minutes – one of the festival’s most immersive offerings, and a fitting way to open the week properly.

The Big Ticket: Amanda Strydom

Tuesday 6 October belongs to one name: Amanda Strydom: 70 nog lewendig at Bloemhof (19h00). A two-hour celebration of one of Afrikaans music’s most enduring voices, this is almost certainly the hardest ticket of the festival – book early.

The Deep Dive: Elke Briljante Ding + Teatergesprek: Skanse

Wednesday 7 October rewards festivalgoers who like to go beyond the stage. Elke briljante ding at Adam Small (11h30) pairs naturally with the Teatergesprek: Skanse discussion later that afternoon (13h30, Diskoerstent) – a chance to unpack the themes from the festival’s opening weekend production.

The Craft Day: Thursday at Adam Small

Thursday 8 October is built for anyone who loves process as much as performance. Autoplay opens the morning, Pizzolla Tangos brings a musical interlude at midday, and the AS Laboratorium session in the afternoon offers something more experimental before the evening’s Adam Small Oudit.

The Full Day: Friday’s Range

Friday 9 October is arguably the most varied single day of the festival – from Trio Aeroclave at Fismer in the late morning, through Raaf at the always-atmospheric Daisy Jones Bar, to a genuine evening choice between the 120-minute When Still Life Breathes and the more intimate Twee siele, een omhelsing.

The Family Morning: Pieter en die Wolf

Saturday 10 October opens with Prokofiev’s Pieter en die Wolf at Endler (10h00) – a reliable crowd-pleaser if you’re bringing younger festivalgoers along, before the day shifts into Voces Cordis and Prima at Drostdy.

The Closer: Vusi Mahlasela

The festival winds down on Sunday 11 October with one of its finest bookings: Vusi Mahlasela at Daisy Jones Bar (16h00) – a rare, intimate-venue appearance from one of South Africa’s most respected singer-songwriters. The Goioso Piano Quartet closes out the evening at Endler, sending nine days of Woordfees off on a reflective note.

2026 Programme

Click here for the full programme for the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees. Tickets are available through Quicket.

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Kai graduated as the top performer in his final year from Stellenbosch University in 2024 with an MB, ChB (cum laude) and is currently completing his internship as a junior doctor at South Africa’s oldest academic hospital – New Somerset Hospital.

Kai is a published first author in a peer-reviewed journal and has presented his research at the International Conference of Undergraduate Research. His passion is for neurology, particularly epilepsy, and the ways in which doctors and traditional healers can collaborate to destigmatise the condition and improve the diagnosis and management of sufferers.

He is the recipient of the Rector’s Award for Excellence in Leadership, having chaired and vice-chaired both Stellenbosch University’s Stoic Society and Surgical Society, respectively. He also served as faculty sports representative and worked as an international ambassador for three separate online medical education platforms. He is the recipient of multiple academic awards, including the Academic Merit Award, Senior Academic Merit Bursary and Top Performer Award.

Kai is passionate about teaching and served as a registered tutor-mentor during his undergraduate, during which time he also became qualified and volunteered as an official ultrasound tutor to undergraduates – a life-saving skill which he continues to empower students with during his internship.

His interests and hobbies span a broad range from philosophy, chess, meditation, and playing the guitar to rugby, racquet sports, running, cycling, and cold-water swimming in the oceans of Cape Town.

Kai hopes to pursue a DPhil in Neuroscience (1+3) at Oxford University and aims to specialise as a neurologist and lecture in academia, thereafter, using the knowledge he gains at Oxford to train tomorrow’s doctors. Furthermore, he wishes to use his research to elevate the neurological care of South Africa, and Low- and Middle-Income Countries in general.

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Meet our makers and brands who will make the morning special.

Trenery

True style is lived, not worn. Guided by creativity and a devotion to enduring design, Trenery makes pieces defined by a timeless silhouette, a luxurious fabric and a well-crafted fit. Each Trenery garment is made to become a true companion, one that settles into your personal style and stays there.

Uva Mira

At one of Stellenbosch’s highest vineyard sites, mountain altitude and cool Atlantic influences shape wines of remarkable elegance. Handcrafted exclusively from estate-grown fruit, wines from Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards express purity of fruit, freshness, minerality and longevity. Discover cool climate elegance in every glass.

Porsche

Porsche has been represented in South Africa since 1952. It is their mission not only to ensure the growth of the Porsche brand in South Africa, but equally importantly, to provide all Porsche customers with an exceptional ownership experience. They welcome the opportunity to share the world of Porsche with you and invite you to become a member of this special family of motoring enthusiasts. Whether you’re drawn to exhilarating sports car performance, everyday versatility, or electric innovation, the Porsche team looks forward to guiding you through the Porsche 911, Cayenne, Macan, Panamera, and Taycan range.

QMS

Beautiful skin doesn’t come from miracles. It comes from science. QMS Medicosmetics believes in clinically proven skincare that works with the skin, not against it. Founded by facial surgeon Dr Erich Schulte, QMS combines advanced collagen technology, hyaluronic acid and skin-identical ingredients to improve hydration, firmness and radiance. For more than 30 years, QMS has challenged skincare convention with one simple philosophy: understand the skin, treat its needs and let the results speak for themselves.

Jo Malone London

Iconic British elegance meets the art of fragrance layering. Discover beautifully crafted scents designed to be combined, personalised and made uniquely your own.

Frédéric Malle

A celebration of modern perfumery and extraordinary creativity. Frédéric Malle brings together the world’s most talented perfumers to create exceptional fragrances that push the boundaries of scent.

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The winners of the Perold Absa Cape Blend competition have been announced. The competition aims to promote Pinotage driven Cape Blend wines for their uniquely distinctive qualities and meaningful impact on the international wine market.

2026 Perold Absa Cape Blend award winners

• Flagstone Winery, Flagstone Dragon Tree Cape Blend, 2023, WO Cape Coast
• Jakkalsvlei Private Cellar, Jakkalsvlei Mount Cuvée Cape Blend, 2024, WO Western Cape
• KWV, KWV The Mentors Perold 2023, WO Coastal Region
• Neethlingshof Estate, Neethlingshof Tors, 2024, WO Stellenbosch
• Perdeberg Group, Perdeberg Endura Winemaker’s Selection Cape Blend, 2024, WO Coastal Region
• Stellenbosch Hills, Stellenbosch Hills Suikerboschrand, 2022, WO Stellenbosch

The Pinotage Rosé competition is in recognition of the uniqueness of varietal in the international wine world, while supporting various styles.

2026 Absa Pinotage Rosé award winners

• Rooiberg Winery, Rooiberg Winery Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Robertson
• Bon Courage Estate, Bon Courage Lady of the House Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Robertson
• Deetlefs Wines Estate, Deetlefs Stonecross Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Western Cape
• Jakkalsvlei Private Cellar, Jakkalsvlei Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Herbertsdale
• Merwida Wine Cellar, Merwida Papenkuils Vlei Vygie Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Breedekloof
• Pulpit Rock Winery, Pulpit Rock Stories Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Swartland

Stellenbosch estates continued their successful run at the 2026 edition of the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge picking up numerous gold awards with Paarl estate KWV Laborie reigned supreme winning the title of Best Wine on Show with its Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2020, making it the third time that Laborie’s Blanc de Blancs has been crowned overall winner of the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge. This years winners:

Blanc de Blancs

• Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2020, (Double Gold, Trophy Blanc de Blancs and Overall Winner)
• Simonsig Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blanc 2022 (Double Gold)
• Louisvale MCC Brut NV (Gold)
• Colmant Blanc de Blancs NV (Gold)
• Pieter Ferreira Pinot Blanc 2023 (Gold)
• Babylonstoren Sprankel 2021 (Gold)

Brut Blends

• Domaine des Dieux Claudia Brut 2021 (Double Gold, Trophy Brut Blends)
• Van Loveren Christina Cap Classique Brut NV (Gold)
• Colmant Brut Reserve NV (Gold)
• Alexander Vineyards Brut NV (Gold)
• Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2023 (Gold)
• Tanzanite Brut NV (Gold)
• Hidden Valley Brut 2022 (Gold)
• Paul Renè Chardonnay Brut 2022 (Gold)
• Klein Roosboom My Way Brut 2021 (Gold)
• Babylonstoren Sprankel 2020 (Gold)
• Spier Prestige Cuvée 2019 (Gold)
• Graham Beck Ultra Brut 2018 (Gold)
• Charles Fox Vintage Brut 2018 (Gold)

Rosé

• Domaine des Dieux Rose of Sharon Rosé 2017 (Double Gold, Trophy Rosé)
• Lourensford Brut Rosé 2021 (Double Gold)
• Weltevrede Philip Jonker Brut Rosetta Rosé NV (Gold)
• Landskroon Cap Classique Pinot Noir Brut 2023 (Gold)

Nectar

• Krone Night Nectar Blanc de Blanc 2021 (Gold, Nectar Trophy)

Extended Ageing Class

• Pieter Ferreira Blanc de Blancs 2015, Double Gold, Extended Ageing Trophy)
• Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2017 (Double Gold)
• Bon Courage Jacques Bruére Blanc de Blancs 2015 (Double Gold)

The winners of the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge have been announced. This years Challenge attracted 150 entries from 97 producers, representing 36 Wine of Origin (WO) classifications with six of the top ten wines originating from certified heritage vineyards of 35 years or older.

The 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10:

1. Beaumont Family Wines Hope Marguerite 2025 – WO Bot River, Walker Bay
2. City on a Hill Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2024 – WO Swartland
3. DaschBosch Mossiesdrift Steen 2025 – WO Breedekloof
4. Groot Phesantekraal Anna de Koning 2024 – WO Cape Town (Durbanville)
5. Painted Wolf Wines Lightning Chenin Blanc 2024 – WO Wellington
6. Stellenrust ArtiSons Family Winery Mother Ship Chenin Blanc 2025 – WO Stellenbosch
7. Stellenrust 61 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2025 – WO Stellenbosch
8. Stettyn Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025 – WO Stettyn
9. Wildeberg Terroirs Chenin Blanc 2024 – WO Paarl
10. Zoetendal Chenin Blanc 2022 – WO Coastal

The complete Top 10 collection is available through Brice & Burnett.

The first weekend of September 2026 saw the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards. Stellenbosch estates continued their good run with Boschendal, JC le Roux, Meinert and Lourensford receiving Platinum status, along with numerous other estates picking up Double Golds.

To receive a Michelangelo Platinum medal, wines and spirits need to score at least 96 out of a possible 100 points. Only 24 entries achieved this status.

Platinum 2026 Winners

Arabella Viognier 2026
Mariette Chardonnay MCC 2019
Bergsig Gewurztraminer 2026
Cederberg Cabernet 2023
De Tijger Merlot 2022
Sydney Back 25 Year-Old brandy N/A
Boschendal Apellation Series Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Excelsior Gondolier Merlot 2023
Graham Beck Cuvee Clive 2019
JC le Roux Scintilla 2016
Durbanville Hills the Tangram White Blend 2024
Van Ryn’s Single Potstill Brandy Aged 20 Years N/A
Ironveil Merlot 2021
Kurkbos Port 2020
Niel Joubert Nammi 2004
The Dry Land Collection Rossouw’s Heritage 2022
Endura Winemaker’s Selection Cape Blend 2024
The Mentors Chenin Blanc 2024
The Mentors Orchestra 2022
Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2024

Click here for more information on the other winners.

Tim Atkin MW’s 2026 Special Report on South African Wine highlighted everyday excellence and serious winemaking aren’t mutually exclusive. The 2025 Kaapzicht Granite Ridge Old Vine Project Chenin Blanc took Best Value White, the 2024 De Morgenzon DMZ Syrah was named Best Value Red and the 2025 Terblanche Family Vineyards Elmie Pinotage Rosé shared Best Rosé. The Pink Valley Rosé Reserve 2025 was one of the Discovery Wines of the Year.

Chris and Cató Rabie of Eendrag Farm was recognised with the 2026 Growers of the Year while Boschendal picked up the Wine Tourism Award for what Atkin calls turning an estate into “a living expression of Brand South Africa”.

Top Honors (The Podium):

• Red Wine of the Year: Sadie Family Columella 2024.
• White Wine of the Year: Alheit Vineyards Huilkrans 2025.
• Winemaker of the Year: Hannes Storm (Storm Wines).
• Young Winemaker of the Year: Jolandie Fouché (Wolf & Woman).
• Winery of the Year: Lismore Estate Vineyards.
• Producer Cellar of the Year: Daschbosch
• Rising Star of the Year: Stefan Johannes (Zwartwater).
• Winemaking Legend: Pieter Ferreira.

 The 2026 ABSA Top 10 Pinotage Awards celebrated the very best of South Africa’s signature grape, with four of this year’s winners hailing from the Stellenbosch region.

The 2026 Top 10 included:
🍷 Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2023
🍷 Le Grand Domaine Grand Vin de Stellenbosch Pinotage 2024
🍷 Stellenrust Wines Artisons Prof Perfect Crime Pinotage 2024
🍷 Koelenhof Koelenbosch Director’s Reserve Pinotage 2023
🍷 Groot Phesantekraal Pinotage 2024
🍷 Du Toitskloof Wines Granite Pinotage 2024
🍷 Wellington Wines La Cave Pinotage 2024
🍷 Survivor Wines Pinotage Reserve 2023
🍷 Diemersdal The Journal Pinotage 2024
🍷 Frostline Pinotage 2024

Pieter Ferreira has spent more than four decades chasing the perfect bubble, a pursuit that has not gone unnoticed in the international wine world. In September the 2026 International Wine Challenge (IWC) will in London raise a glass to the man who has done more than almost anyone to put South African Cap Classique on the international wine map. Read more

Stellenbosch estates once again emerged with top honours at the 14^th Shiraz SA Challenge. Eighteen winners were awarded in the three categories with Spier pocketing two awards and Stellenrust receiving recognition for their work in sustainability, excellence, innovation, creativity and social responsibility. Read more

Dirk van Zyl has been appointed as head winemaker at Kanonkop Estate.

Hailing from a wine farm in Bonnievale in the Western Cape, Dirk graduated with a BSc degree in Viticulture and Oenology from Stellenbosch University in 2012, after which he held the position of winemaker at various Stellenbosch wineries, including Kleine Zalze, De Morgenzon, Saxenburg and, most recently, Glenelly.

The post Wine News appeared first on Stellenbosch Visio.

At Fairtree, we believe investing is about more than just growing capital. It is also about creating lasting value for the people and communities around us. Guided by our mission to enrich the lives of all our stakeholders, we are committed to building meaningful relationships and investing in initiatives that create lasting impact.

Although Fairtree’s investment reach extends across South Africa and beyond, our roots are firmly planted in the Winelands, where our story began and which we still proudly call home. Our commitment to creating meaningful impact extends nationwide, but we remain deeply invested in the community that has been part of our journey.

From supporting Calling Education through bursaries and financial literacy programmes to building a bike track with the Pedal Project to support trail therapy for young people, these initiatives reflect our commitment to making a meaningful difference.

Through our partnership with Endurocad, we help develop the next generation of South African athletes by providing access to education and skills development.

We are also proud to partner with Paul Roos Gymnasium, Bloemhof Girls’ High School and Somerset College. Schools play an important role in developing future leaders, creating environments where learners can discover their potential and thrive.

Sport has a unique ability to bring people together. It builds confidence, inspires ambition and creates a sense of belonging.

Fairtree supports community cricket through its partnerships with Van der Stel Cricket Club and Spes Bona Cricket Club, while also backing the professional game through its sponsorship of the Paarl Royals.

Together, these partnerships reflect Fairtree’s commitment to the growth and development of cricket, from the grassroots level to the highest echelon of the sport.

We also support Keeping Stellenbosch Healthy, a community initiative led by José Cabral that delivers soccer clinics to children from less fortunate backgrounds across the Winelands, giving them opportunities to learn and thrive through sport. We are proud partners of the

Fairtree DP World Cannondale Racing Team, supporting a programme that combines elite international competition with a commitment to developing the next generation of South African cycling talent.

Fairtree’s dedication to the Winelands extends beyond education and sport to the arts. Through its partnership with the Libertas Choir, Fairtree helps preserve one of Stellenbosch’s most respected cultural institutions and celebrates a proud musical tradition that has enriched the community’s cultural life for decades.

As Fairtree continues to grow, our commitment to the Stellenbosch and Winelands community remains unchanged. Whether through education, sport or community development, we are proud to invest in the region that has shaped our story, and in the people who continue to shape its future.

The post Rooted in the Winelands, Investing in our Community appeared first on Stellenbosch Visio.

HY KAN STROFES uit gedigte moeiteloos voordra, sy musiekkennis is verstommend en sy kennis van Afrikaans merkwaardig. Bowenal is hy ’n gemoedelike man wat maklik lag; een van daardie mense wat jy dankbaar is jy ken.

Die 55-jarige Danie Marais, kenbaar aan sy kleurryke hemde, sybaard en donkerraambril, het al baie uit die lewe getap. Die laaste jaar of wat was sy werk as digter veral op die voorgrond met sy vierde bundel, Ek en jy bestaan nie, wat onder meer die Breyten Breytenbach-prys gewen het en die topverkoperdigbundel by verlede jaar se Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees was.

Dan is daar Ek is nie Danie, die verhoogproduksie wat ’n feestreffer was – en steeds is – en die een toekenning na die ander ingeryg het. Die produksie, met Albert Pretorius en Schalk Joubert op die verhoog en Nico Scheepers in die regisseurstoel, is ’n samestelling van gedigte uit Danie se vier bundels. Ná die stuk se debuut by die Woordfees, is dit by ander feeste opgevoer en in Oktober is dit weer by die Woordfees te sien.

“Wat daar gebeur het, grens aan ’n wonderwerk,” sê Danie. “Toe Niel van Deventer, die vervaardiger van die stuk, my genader het, het ek gehoop ’n paar mense kom kyk. Toe Saartjie (Botha, feesbestuurder van die Woordfees) verlede jaar sê hulle gaan dit vir vyf vertonings skeduleer, was ek bang die venue gaan leeg wees. My lewensmotto is: moenie worry nie, dinge gaan tog in elk geval skeefloop. Ek kan dus nie sê dit het my verwagtinge oortref nie, want ek het nie verwagtinge gehad nie. Ek het wel baie vertroue in Albert en Schalk gehad. Soos wat Jimi Hendrix “All Along the Watchtower” van Bob Dylan die stratosfeer ingeblaas het, het Albert en Schalk my werk na ’n ander dimensie geneem. Dit laat jou dankbaar besef dit was nie verniet nie.”

Vir Danie was dit ’n openbaring om mense se reaksie op die stuk te sien. “Dalk was dit die magtelose woede wat Albert uit die gedigte gekry het, of hoe mense op ’n diep persoonlike manier met die werk connect het. Dit het my ook weer aan die woorde van Leonard Cohen laat dink: ‘You either raise your fist, or you say hallelujah. I try to do both’. Ek raak melankolies as ek daaraan dink. Dit is inderdaad ’n wonderwerk.”

Danie is in Kimberley gebore. Sy pa, Callie, en sy ma, Cecile, was skoolliefdes, in hul matriekjaar hoofseun en hoofdogter by Hoërskool J.G. Meiring in Goodwood. Callie word ’n ingenieur en Cecile ’n Afrikaansonderwyseres en later bibliotekaresse by die RGN in Pretoria. Die Jakarandastad is ook waar Danie matriek geskryf het.

Ná ’n BCom met regsvakke op Maties, volg hy sy hart na Duitsland waar hy aan die Carl von Ossietzky-universiteit in Oldenburg studeer en hom as onderwyser bekwaam.

In 2002 keer hy terug na Suid-Afrika. Tussen toe en nou gebeur die lewe, met die geboorte van sy lieflingdogter, Lea, ’n hoogtepunt. Liefde laat hom ook terugkeer na Stellenbosch waar hy en Carine Terreblanche, ’n senior lektor in juweliersontwerp aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch, ’n huis met Lea en Sam, Carine se seun, deel.

Danie is openlik oor sy ambivalente verhouding met Stellenbosch. Oor hoe die ooglopende kloof tussen rykdom en armoede die dorp verdeel. “Maar dit is die plek van soveel mense vir wie ek lief is en wat ’n groot invloed op my gehad het. Willem Anker, Ingrid Winterbach, Marthinus Basson. Anargiste soos die Springbok Nude Girls en Valiant Swart. Daar is die sonsondergange en natuurskoon. Stellenbosch is ’n toets vir baie mense. Sien jy net die mooi raak of erken jy ook die ongelykhede? Ons kan nooit gemaklik raak met die situasie soos dit nou is nie.”

Danie se liefde vir die digkuns het van sy ma gekom. “Die Junior Verseboek, ’n geskenk van haar, was my gateway drug,” sê hy. “Dit is sy wat gesorg het ons gaan teater toe, wat gesê het ek moet na Johannes Kerkorrel gaan luister toe ek nog op skool was. Sy wat my pa laat sê het: ‘Cecile, nou het jy wragtig te ver gegaan’ toe ons Sarafina in die Markteater in Johannesburg gaan kyk en die gehoor ná die vertoning ‘Amandla!’ geskreeu het.” Hy bestempel sy pa se persoonlikheid as sonnig; sy ma s’n as intens en geneig tot depressie. “Ek is die yin en yang van my pa en ma,” sê hy.

Danie by die Fiësta- toekennings waar Ek is nie Danie ses Fiëstas gewen het.

Noem hy homself eerstens digter? “Ek dink nie mens moet nie,” sê hy en lag. “Dis ’n klein persentasie van my lewe en, soos die skrywer Raymond Carver, gebruik ek digkuns soos ’n helikopter om moeilike dinge te verken.”

In sy lewe weg van die digkuns werk hy as teksversorger, vertaler, rubriekskrywer en inhoudsregisseur van dokumentêre TV-reekse. Die uitstekende Die stories van Afrikaans oor die taal se geskiedenis, is een van dié op sy kerfstok. Ook op pad is ’n dokumentêr oor David Kramer en ’n TV-reeks, waarvan hy die aanbieder is, oor Afrikaanse boeke en skrywers.

Hoe lyk sy ideale dag? “Daar is musiek, iets om te lees en flieks of reekse om te kyk. Hoe kan dit dan nou beter?” 

Die bundel Ek is nie Danie, saamgestel uit Danie se vier bundels, is vroeër vanjaar deur Flyleaf Publishing uitgegee.

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Visit Stellenbosch continues to prioritise initiatives that strengthen the local tourism economy with its newly signed Joint Marketing Agreement with Cape Town Tourism. Announced during Tourism Month, the partnership is designed to draw more overnight visitors, increase length of stay and channel greater economic benefit to Stellenbosch businesses and communities through a connected Cape journey.

The collaboration brings together two complementary destinations that sit naturally within the same itinerary. Cape Town offers coastline, city energy and cultural attractions, while Stellenbosch contributes wine, food, heritage, art, nature, shopping and distinctive local experiences. Together they create a richer regional offering that rewards an extra night or two.

Under the agreement the organisations will develop joint itineraries, share content and run collaborative campaigns across their digital channels. These efforts will be supported by joint media and trade activities. Particular attention will be given to domestic travellers during school holidays, long weekends and the festive season, while also creating year-round reasons to visit and helping to address seasonality.

The aim is straightforward: visitors who plan a trip to one destination will be encouraged to add the other, extending their stay and exploring more of the region. Joint content will highlight the range of experiences available across both places, with campaigns, competitions and giveaways opening opportunities for tourism businesses on both sides to take part in shared storytelling. Where relevant, international media and trade engagement will present Cape Town and Stellenbosch as complementary stops within a longer South African itinerary.

Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, notes that Cape Town can easily fill a holiday yet also serves as a gateway to the wider Cape. “Stellenbosch adds another dimension to the Cape Town experience, and vice versa,” he says. “There is a real opportunity to encourage visitors to stay longer, explore more and experience the diversity of our region. This partnership gives us a platform to make that connection more visible, particularly during key travel periods and throughout the year.”

Alderman James Vos, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, points to strong recent performance figures: 1.44 million international overnight visitors and 1.42 million domestic overnight trips in 2025. The next step, he argues, is converting that demand into longer stays and greater economic benefit. “Visitors don’t experience destinations by municipal boundaries, and neither should our tourism thinking,” he says. “By connecting Cape Town and Stellenbosch more deliberately, we can encourage visitors to stay another night, explore more and spend more. Every additional night creates opportunities across the tourism value chain.”

Annemie Liebenberg, CEO of Visit Stellenbosch, emphasises the practical value for the local tourism economy. Longer stays translate into more visitor spend, more nights in accommodation and broader benefits for businesses. She also highlights the partnership’s role in tackling seasonality: “When we work together to grow the overall tourism pie, there is greater opportunity for both destinations and for the businesses and communities that depend on tourism.”

Stellenbosch itself recorded more than 1.35 million overnight visitors in 2025, contributing an estimated R13 billion in total economic impact. The new collaboration builds on the established strengths of both destinations while creating fresh opportunities to distribute demand, increase length of stay and widen participation in the visitor economy.

For travellers the invitation is simple: Cape Town and Stellenbosch. One more night. So much more to experience.

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SOARING ABOVE THE FYNBOS

Adventure seekers can discover the Elgin Valley from a whole new perspective with Cape Canopy Tour, a thrilling zipline excursion in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve.

Established in 2014 in partnership with CapeNature, this award- winning attraction takes guests more than 1 000m above sea level, combining breathtaking mountain scenery with an adrenaline-filled flight through the fynbos-covered landscape.

The half-day tour begins with a 4×4 drive into the mountains before guests take to the skies on a series of 11 exhilarating zipline slides of up to 300m. Along the route, visitors cross elevated platforms, soar above the Riviersonderend Gorge and navigate a suspension bridge above a spectacular double waterfall.

Suitable for guests aged five to 75, the four- to five-hour outing includes all equipment, training, conservation fees, a return mountain transfer, and the services of two trained Cape Canopy Tour guides. It’s an unforgettable way to explore the natural beauty of the Cape from above.

CALLING ALL HIKERS AND TRAIL RUNNERS

Stellenbosch Trail Fund (STF) is now working with Stellenbosch University to help maintain the hiking and running routes on Coetzenburg, showing that life is not only about mountain biking!

Significant repair work has already taken place and will continue consistently.

STF has also obtained approval from CapeNature to start repair work on the hiking trails inside Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, which are in dire need of regular maintenance.

This expansion of STF’s mountain trail work, which previously focused only on MTB routes, will require additional funding. Please support STF’s efforts by visiting their website here.

STELLENBOSCH ENGINEERS REACH FOR THE MOON

Researchers and postgraduate students from Stellenbosch University (SU) are playing a key role in one of Africa’s most ambitious space projects, contributing to technology that could soon make its way to the moon.

The SU’s Electronic Systems Laboratory (ESL) has been involved in the development of electronics for Africa2Moon, a South Africa-led initiative selected as one of the international payloads aboard China’s Chang’e-8 lunar mission, scheduled to launch in 2029. The mission aims to deploy the first Africa-designed low-frequency radio telescope antennas on the moon’s south pole, paving the way for future scientific discoveries that cannot be achieved from Earth.

Working alongside organisations that include the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (Sarao), the South African National Space Agency (Sansa) and several local universities and space technology companies, the ESL team has helped design the electronic systems that will allow the payload to communicate with the lunar lander.

Four SU MEng students also joined the project, developing key electronic and communication systems while balancing their postgraduate studies. Their work forms part of a technology demonstrator that will undergo testing before the flight-ready model is built.

For the ESL, the project continues a legacy of more than three decades of South African space engineering. Established as the development facility for South Africa’s first satellite, Sunsat, the laboratory has since contributed to numerous satellite, robotics and autonomous systems projects while training generations of engineers.

If successful, Africa2Moon will eventually deploy 55 lunar antennas – one for each African nation – creating the first African radio telescope array on the moon and opening a new frontier for both African science and space exploration.

The post Spring 2026 News & Reviews: Part 3 appeared first on Stellenbosch Visio.

This is the most luxurious and technologically advanced Range Rover yet. The array of immersive audio technologies in Range Rover SV Ultra now includes revolutionary SV Electrostatic Sound, which turns the cabin into a concert hall, alongside Body and Soul Seats (BASS) and Sensory Haptic Floor.

Elegant design

Range Rover SV Ultra’s exterior is offered in multiple colour choices; and introduces the exclusive Titan Silver. Titan Silver uses real, fine aluminium flake and advanced pigment technology to create a lustrous, highly reflective surface with an iridescent, mirror‑like quality. The result is a finish that feels both distinctive and meticulously crafted.

Satin Platinum Atlas and Silver Chrome accents complement the Titan Silver exterior finish, while 23-inch alloy wheels are finished with Satin Platinum inserts.

Inside, SV Ultra reveals a new and exclusive light duo‑tone Orchid White and Cinder Grey Ultrafabrics™ interior, combining advanced material innovation with a serene, design‑led sanctuary. The seating features an intricate new laser‑crafted mosaic pattern for the first time, applied across the sculpted upper sections and carried through the inserts and backrests to create a unified, highly detailed surface treatment.

World-first in-car audio technology

Range Rover SV Ultra brings concert hall sound quality to the best seats in the house, introducing high-fidelity electrostatic sound technology to a vehicle for the very first time. The new SV Electrostatic Sound system (available as an option exclusively on SV models) ensures every harmonious note and crisp detail puts the occupant in the heart of every performance, reproducing music faithfully as the artist intended.

The Electrostatic Sound system features 21 lightweight thin-film transducers to create personal auditoriums for each seat. The 21 electrostatic panels are integrated within redesigned winged headrests, seatbacks and existing speaker locations – including those in the headlining – delivering a consistent flow of audio, a seamless frequency range and coherent, uncoloured clarity of sound. The electrostatic speakers are supported by five existing bass loudspeakers plus Body and Soul Seats to provide unrivalled bass support.

Designed to transmit natural, clear audio with detail and precision, each electrostatic speaker contains an ultra-light, ultra-responsive membrane just 1mm thick. The membrane sits between two perforated metallic plates across which an audio signal is applied, responding up to 1,000 times faster than a traditional speaker, for the kind of immersive, crisp and detailed sound stage normally experienced in a studio or through the finest headphones – with minimal vibration or distortion. 

Full-body audio experience

SV Electrostatic Sound works in harmony with Range Rover’s Body and Soul Seat (BASS) and Sensory Floor technologies to bring a multi-dimensional audio experience to occupants, allowing them to feel the music within their bodies.

BASS technology generates in‑seat pulsations for a deeply immersive listening experience, and uses seat‑integrated transducers so occupants can feel as well as hear every performance.

Sensory Floor adds haptic feedback through four transducers beneath the floor mats, working in concert with BASS to extend the experience beyond the seats and fully envelop passengers in every performance.

For more information, click here. 

The post The Pinnacle of Luxury and Technology appeared first on Stellenbosch Visio.

It is a rhythm that asks for patience, and more than 340 years later, that same patience still shapes everything at Boschendal – nowhere more so than in the making of its Cap Classique.

THE FIRST BOTTLE AND THE ONES THAT FOLLOWED

Boschendal’s Cap Classique history began in 1978, when Achim von Arnim was appointed cellarmaster. He crafted Boschendal’s first Brut in 1981 – only the second Cap Classique made in South Africa – helping to establish the estate as one of the country’s leading names for sparkling wine. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir soon became the defining varieties.

Today, under sparkling and white winemaker Charl Schoeman, that conviction lives on across six distinct cuvées, each purposefully made according to the traditional method.

MEET THE MAKER

For Charl, Cap Classique is won or lost at site selection. “Our cool-climate blocks are chosen on topography alone,” he explains. “At 390m, our highest Elgin site sits above the worst of the day’s heat, so the vines ripen slowly and hold onto acid we simply can’t get lower down. That’s the difference between a base wine with structure and one without.”

That discipline extends into harvest. Grapes are picked at dawn and at deliberately lower sugar levels, sacrificing weight for the bracing freshness a great Cap Classique demands. Hand-picked bunches go straight into small lug boxes rather than bins, to prevent crushing before they reach the press – damaged fruit oxidises fast, and oxidation is the enemy of a clean base wine. Only the first, gentlest fraction of juice from each press – the cuvée juice – is kept; the rest is set aside.

TRADITION IN EVERY BUBBLE

Every wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle, then rests on the lees, the spent yeast cells that slowly add texture and release biscuit and brioche notes as the months pass. This is where a young, simple base wine becomes something else entirely.

Boschendal Brut and Brut Rosé come first: bright, elegant and easy in the hand, made for celebrations that need no occasion.

Grande Cuvée asks for a little more time. Drawn exclusively from Boschendal’s two most prestigious Elgin sites, its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir base wines ferment cool at 16°C before spending as long as 82 months – nearly seven years – on the lees before disgorgement. Few Cap Classiques in the country are given that much time to develop. Mountain Rose goes further still. Made from 100% Pinot Noir grown on decomposed-granite terraces, it draws its firm acidity and delicate red-berry character from a combination of Stellenbosch fruit for richness and, for purity and minerality, fruit from the West Coast, where warm Mediterranean days are offset by cooling south-easterly breezes. With grapes hand-picked at dawn in January 2020, tirage taking place in spring that year and disgorgement only in spring 2025, it stands as South Africa’s oldest vintage 100% Pinot Noir Cap Classique – 60 months on the lees in total, 36 of them sur lattes (storing the bottles horizontally on wooden slats in the cellar.

At the collection’s apex sits Jean Le Long Blanc de Blancs, a tribute to the French Huguenot who planted Boschendal’s first vines. Made exclusively from Chardonnay and matured for up to 10 years on the lees, it develops layers of citrus, toasted brioche and almond, carried by fine, persistent bubbles.

Luxe Nectar completes the range in richer style – crème brûlée, almond biscotti and citrus zest – and is suited to leisurely brunches and life’s more relaxed celebrations.
The wines continue to make their case beyond the cellar. In 2025, Jean Le Long Prestige Cuvée Blanc de Blancs 2012 was awarded the South African Sparkling Trophy at the International Wine Challenge, scoring 95 points.

Boschendal has also taken top honours twice at the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge: first with Grande Cuvée Brut 2009 in 2013, and again in 2019, when Jean Le Long Prestige Cuvée 2008 became the first Museum Class wine to be named the overall winner.

Luxe Nectar completes the range in richer style – crème brûlée, almond biscotti and citrus zest – and is suited to leisurely brunches and life’s more relaxed celebrations.

The wines continue to make their case beyond the cellar. In 2025, Jean Le Long Prestige Cuvée Blanc de Blancs 2012 was awarded the South African Sparkling Trophy at the International Wine Challenge, scoring 95 points.

Boschendal has also taken top honours twice at the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge: first with Grande Cuvée Brut 2009 in 2013, and again in 2019, when Jean Le Long Prestige Cuvée 2008 became the first Museum Class wine to be named the overall winner.

CENTURIES OF PERFECTION, WHATEVER THE OCCASION

For all the discipline behind it, Cap Classique has always meant something more relaxed at Boschendal. It belongs to long tables as the sun drops behind the Simonsberg, to conversations that run on into golden hour, to company kept across generations. Some bottles mark milestones. Most are opened for no reason grander than family arriving, or an afternoon too good to let go.

Forty-five years on from that first Brut, the collection needs no grand claims made on its behalf; the science and patience make the case themselves, one considered vintage at a time.

The post The Measure of Time appeared first on Stellenbosch Visio.