Stellenbosch Wine Region

Stellenbosch was founded in 1679, the second European settlement at the Cape, and its centre still has streets of whitewashed Cape Dutch and Georgian buildings under old oaks planted along water furrows. Around it lie roughly two hundred wine estates on the slopes of the Simonsberg, Helderberg and Stellenbosch mountains, on soils and aspects varied enough that the district is subdivided into distinct wards. The first formal wine route in South Africa was established here in 1971 and became the template for every other. Cabernet sauvignon, its blends and pinotage are what the district is known for, with chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc on the cooler slopes. The university gives the town a young population and a food and bar scene disproportionate to its size, and the Stellenbosch village museum occupies four houses showing four periods of Cape domestic life.

What you actually see

• The 1679 town - Cape Dutch and Georgian streets under oaks and water furrows.
• Two hundred estates - dense planting across three mountain ranges' slopes.
• The first wine route - established here in 1971, the model for the rest.
• A student town - a food and bar scene larger than the population suggests.

When to go

February to April for harvest, September to November for spring. Two to three days.

Honest expectations

Tasting fees have risen sharply and a day of estates is expensive. Drink-driving enforcement is strict - arrange a driver. Summer weekends are crowded. The town centre parking is difficult and metered.

Nearby

Franschhoek is east over Helshoogte; Paarl is north.