Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

Heaven and Earth is the translation, and the valley is short - it runs inland from Hermanus for perhaps twenty kilometres before the mountains close it - but it is divided into three separate wards, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde and Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, because the soils and the distance from the sea change enough over that distance to matter. Cold air off Walker Bay a few kilometres away keeps temperatures down, and the clay-rich shale soils hold water; the combination is why pinot noir works here when it works almost nowhere else in the country, and why Hemel-en-Aarde chardonnay is taken as seriously as any in the southern hemisphere. The first plantings were in the 1970s and the estates are small, family-run and close together, which makes it one of the easiest wine routes to do in a day. Hermanus and its whale season are five minutes away.

What you actually see

• Three wards in twenty kilometres - soils and sea distance changing fast.
• Sea cooling - cold air off Walker Bay holding temperatures down.
• Pinot noir that works - the variety's most convincing South African home.
• Small estates close together - an easy route to cover in a single day.

When to go

February to April for harvest; combine with the whale season from June to November. A day.

Honest expectations

The valley is small and tastings here are expensive. Several estates are appointment-only. The R320 continues as gravel over the mountains - check before driving through. Wines are made in small quantities and sell out.

Nearby

Hermanus and its cliff path are at the mouth of the valley; Stanford is east.