It’s summer in South Africa’s Winelands and you’re spoilt for choice. Not sure where to go, what to do and where to taste? RICHARD HOLMES suggests you start with Stellenbosch Visio’s travel guide to the Cape while EMILE JOUBERT provides tasting notes for the season’s top white wines.
The vineyards that surround Stellenbosch are the spiritual home of the South African wine industry, where both storied farms with rich heritage and boutique producers blaze a bold path for New World wines.
Surrounding Wine Farms

On the farms around the historic ‘City of Oaks’ – Eikestad to the locals – the varied terroir of the Stellenbosch Winelands leads to a remarkable diversity of wine styles. Discover elegant Syrah at the family-owned estates of the Upper Blaauwklippen valley, taste the signature Sauvignon Blanc at Neil Ellis, sip old-vine Chenin Blanc on the slopes of the Bottelary Hills — or in the charming tasting room at Ken Forrester Wines — or venture into the scenic Stellenbosch Kloof to discover the diversity of terroir-driven releases at Jordan. Here you’ll certainly want to stay for lunch (or dinner) at the award-winning restaurant helmed by chef Marthinus Ferreira or even stay the night in one of the farm’s gorgeous luxury suites.
Luxury Accommodation

There’s no shortage of luxurious accommodation to choose from in the area. On the outskirts of town, the Lanzerac Hotel & Spa offers contemporary comfort in a historic setting, and in the heart of this bustling university town the Oude Werf Hotel charms with elegantly chic rooms. But when it comes to intuitive service, considered luxury and stellar settings, few hotels can compete with Delaire Graff Estate. Set high on the Helshoogte Pass, Delaire’s collection of ‘lodges’ – recently reimagined and refurbished – combines an immersive art-driven experience with a sense of understated opulence framed by panoramic Winelands views.
Tokara

From the restaurant terrace you’ll look across to the slopes of the Simonsberg and the manicured vineyards and olive groves of Tokara estate. While justifiably famous for both its wine and extra-virgin olive oils – not to mention a superb XO brandy! – Tokara is today a multi-faceted estate where you can sip on Sauvignon Blanc, wander through the gardens, admire the outdoor sculpture park and then take your seat at the table to let chef Carolize Coetzee impress you with her seasonal menu of inspired dining.
Travelling with kids? The Tokara Deli is a better bet, with wide lawns and a fun play area. Certainly don’t leave without a wander through Tokara’s intimate art gallery. You’ll find art in abundance across the Stellenbosch Winelands.
Art in Town

The Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden showcases more than 60 works from this acclaimed sculptor in a 7ha landscaped garden framed by mountain peaks. Further down the R44, a trio of exhibition spaces on Cavalli Estate exhibits a private collection of South African works and a roster of contemporary exhibitions. Down the Annandale Road, more than 1000 works from the Spier Private Collection are exhibited in the farm’s historic Cape Dutch buildings and the public spaces of the Spier Hotel, along with dozens of outdoor sculptures scattered across the manicured estate.
And, as you head back into town, make time for a visit to the wonderful Rupert Museum, which showcases modern South African art across both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Tasting Notes
As this is South Africa’s most famous wine region, one can be forgiven for being slightly nervous about selecting white wine highlights here. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cap Classique … Stellenbosch produces them all, and brilliantly. One reason for this is the wine culture that developed from the day Simon van der Stel approved a settlement here in 1679. Varying geography, including mountains, valleys, plains and diverse soil types, also allows Stellenbosch’s wine visionaries to identify ideal patches of earth for planting cultivars favouring the relevant terroir pockets. The results are stunning.
Kleine Zalze

For Chenin Blanc, Kleine Zalze Wines is my place to visit. Four are made here: three under the Kleine Zalze label and one in its irreverent Project Z range, a platform that allows the winemakers to express themselves in off-kilter, adventurous ways.
KLEINE ZALZE: PROJECT Z SKIN CONTACT CHENIN BLANC 2021
Made from vines of 35 years and older growing in Firgrove, just a grape pip’s throw from the icy Atlantic in False Bay, this will have you reassessing the sheer exuberance of Chenin Blanc. The grapes are fermented on the skins and in Italian clay amphorae before the fermented wine gets another seven months in amphorae, adding to its texture. Full and generous on the palate, it exudes flavours of green apple, loquat and lime zest, with probing and invigorating runs of minerality and a slight edge of dry fynbos. The mesmerising result is one of the many examples underscoring Chenin Blanc’s ability to deliver some of the world’s great wines when South African winemakers are at the helm.
Lanzerac

Lanzerac, at the foot of the Jonkershoek Valley, is a well-trodden path of Stellenbosch wine history, with many highlights in its past. The first Pinotage wine was made under the Lanzerac label, vintage 1959. But the theme here is white wines and, when it comes to classics, no variety does it better for me than Chardonnay. Lanzerac’s Mrs English Chardonnay again shows how seamlessly Burgundy’s great white grape has found a home in South Africa, and most noticeably Stellenbosch. It is made from a single vineyard in the Jonkershoek Valley, one of the wettest spots in the whole country and where the vines for Mrs English grow at 375 m above sea level.
LANZERAC: MRS ENGLISH CHARDONNAY 2023
Whole bunches are pressed to ensure optimal purity of the juice. Maturation in a combination of new, second-fill and third-fill barrels exposes the ageing wine to a disparate wood narrative that enhances structure and flavour. The result is an ode to Chardonnay purity, with evocative notes of citrus and pear embraced by that distinctive Chardonnay crack of nuttiness.
Delaire Graff Estate

High on the Helshoogte Pass glitters Delaire Graff, a sumptuous, modern hospitality and wine destination in every sense of the word. It’s easy to be side-tracked by art and jewellery, by landscaping of immaculate detail and by wondrous dining and views. Yet the wines do justice to all this, and none better than the Delaire Graff White Reserve 2022. Enjoy a glass or two, chilled, while gazing at the blue-and-russet mountains of the Banhoek Valley, with a song in the heart and poetry in the head.
DELAIRE GRAFF WHITE RESERVE 2022
Like The Tangram from Durbanville Hills, this is a Bordeaux-style white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, although here the Sémillon contributes a hefty whack of 42%. The two varieties were vinified separately and aged for five months in French barrels, then the blend was composed and returned to the wood to complete its journey as a unified whole. Sauvignon Blanc brings energy, freshness and a life-affirming riff, while Sémillon adds subtle charges of spice, apricot and orange peel. With its assertive presence on the palate, the wine complements a wonderful array of dishes.
Discover the Elegance of Taaibosch

Situated on the majestic Helderberg Mountain, Taaibosch Wine Estate offers an unparalleled fusion of world-class wine and luxurious accommodation set in a pastoral environment with breathtaking views over False Bay and the Table Mountain range.
Central to its offering is the estate’s flagship wine, Crescendo, a red Bordeaux-style blend with a legacy of excellence since the 1990s. Crafted with minimal intervention, this exquisite blend – led by Cabernet Franc and supported by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon – captures the essence of Stellenbosch’s famed Helderberg terroir. Each bottle reflects Taaibosch’s commitment to sustainability and craftsmanship, which allow the natural rhythms of this exceptional terroir to be expressed.


Beyond the cellar, Taaibosch is home to the Taaibosch Collection, a trio of distinctive luxury accommodation offerings. The Manor House, a historic farmhouse dating back to 1838, offers old-world charm and modern comforts, making it the perfect family retreat. For those seeking greater seclusion, the Garden Villa is an intimate hideaway nestled among the vineyards, ideal for romantic getaways. For the famous panoramic views of the Cape Peninsula, the contemporary Farsight Villa is the ultimate indulgence.
Whether you’re savouring a glass of Crescendo or unwinding in one of the estate’s luxurious villas, Taaibosch Wine Estate promises an unforgettable experience where wine, natural beauty and luxury intertwine in the offering of ultimate fulfilment.