The Cape Winelands extend about 150 km north and 200 km east from Cape Town and boast some of the most majestic scenery in South Africa. It is a district municipality with beautiful landscapes of vineyards in fertile valleys against the backdrop of rugged mountains. The best-known towns are Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, Tulbagh, Worcester, Robertson und McGregor.
In 1652 the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope to provide fresh provisions to the company’s fleet on their voyages to Indonesia. This early trading station became the starting point not only of South Africa’s flourishing wine industry but also of its multi-cultural Rainbow Nation.
Settlers from the Netherlands and other parts of Europe soon started to flock to the Cape. Viticulture was boosted by French Huguenots, who fled to South Africa at the end of the 17th century and were given land in Franschhoek, the ‘French Corner’.
Wine estates around the famous old trio of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, but also the winegrowing areas around the fertile Breede River, are world-famous for their white and red wines, Sherries, Ports and brandies – not to forget the Cap Classique, South Africa’s answer to champagne. Most wine farms offer not only wine tasting, across a range of grape varieties, but often they also include cheese and chocolate tasting paired with the sacred tipple. Onsite museums, outstanding restaurants and splendid accommodation guarantee the full Winelands experience.
