Guest author: Pam McOnie, Cape Town and Cape Winelands tour guide
As the second part of our blog series on A Taste of Cape Winelands: A Vineyard Guide, Pam McOnie—a brilliant tour guide based in Cape Town, South Africa—shares some of her favorite wine estates in the Helderberg Ward region of Cape Winelands.
In this series, Pam provides information on some of her favorite wine estates, which she chose for the wine and / or the experience visitors have when visiting these estates. To see part I of this series, click here.
See below for Part II of this series, which focuses on a portion of the HELDERBERG WARD of the Stellenbosch wine region:
The estates below are classified as part of the Helderberg region—however, you now head away from Somerset West Town onto the R44 in the direction of Stellenbosch to start exploring the following estates:
Grangehurst Winery: This is an absolute gem and I would highly recommend a visit to them. For those who are looking for a small, family-owned estate that offers exceptionally good wines and is off the beaten track, Grangehurst is it! If you are keen on red wines and red blends, this is well worth detouring for. The tasting room is small, and the service and explanations are really in depth. This estate may be a bit dangerous as you will end up taking a few bottles to hide in your luggage or even worse, end up shipping some home!
JP Bredell Wines: This estate is well worth visiting if you have a sweet tooth and like Port. They are noted for really good ports. The tasting room experience is nothing special—but I do enjoy their ports!
Ken Forrester Vineyards: Ken is known as the “King” of Chenin Blanc in this country—not a shabby position to be in now that Chenin is back in fashion. He has been walking off with lots of awards in the last few years and even scored 93 points in the US Wine Spectator last year for his FMC Chenin Blanc (the highest scoring for a South African white ever). Ken was also awarded a Decanter trophy for the same wine.
Image above taken from Ken Forrester Vineyards website.
The Ken Forrester Vineyards has a nice little tasting room, and if you are persistent, you can get a wonderful platter of Dalewood cheeses to enjoy during your tasting. Dalewood is one of the best cheese manufacturers in the wine region—so it is definitely worth indulging. Note that if you are in the area and are hungry, 96 Winery Rd. restaurant is just around the corner and is always good for relaxed, hearty country dining. Expect to find some of the region’s winemakers relaxing here too.
Zandberg Wines: This estate offer nice wines at good prices—they have a good Cabernet Sauvignon. I found the cellar tasting experience to be wonderfully educational. The idea behind the tasting it to match the nose and the tastes to the different food items that the winemaker has used to describe each element—as such this is a really fun and interactive tasting.
In order to get the full experience, you need to contact Nick Ridley before you come on 021 842 2945 or 071 332 8922 if you’re interested in the estate’s white merlot. This innovative wine seems to have taken off since its first release last year and, as such, they have increased production of it for this year. I really enjoyed their dry rose (blanc de noir), and at R35 a bottle from the cellar, it is a real bargain! Note that you are also welcome to book a cellar tour with Nick when you make your appointment.
This estate is great for those wishing to learn more about the process of tasting wine and what you need to look for when doing a proper tasting. Another plus is that this estate is home to the 96 Winery Rd restaurant. So if you whet your appetite tasting, you can simply move onto the restaurant.
Location: 96 Winery Rd, Stellenbosch (for planning, this estate is right next door to the Helderberg wine region). Email: wine@zandberg.co.za
Uva Mira: This estate is a breathtaking drive through the region as you travel over the mountain to get there. The tasting room offers panoramic views and is tastefully done. However, if you make the journey to taste the chardonnay, you will be disappointed as it has sold out before it was even released! It is still worth the drive, though. They have been winning lots of awards over the last few years for their chardonnay.
Image above taken from the Uva Mira estate website.
Hidden Valley Estate: Next door to Uva Mira, the wines at Hidden Valley Estate are good, and it is worth a stop to see the very modern architecture of this cellar and the breathtaking view—I know that sounds dramatic but trust me, this region is dramatic!
On this estate is one of South Africa’s top restaurants, OVERTURE. Note that over summer bookings are essential as Overture is extremely popular. Don’t try to pop into the restaurant without an appointment. For wine tasting you are welcome to visit. Note that you can also taste the Lands End range of wines here from the Cape Agulhas region (this region is a very cool region, which makes it excellent for producing sauvignon blanc).
Ernie Els Wines: Neighboring Hidden Valley Estate, Ernie Els Wines offers panoramic views with extremely modern architecture and excellent wines. What do you get when you combine one of South Africa’s most well known personalities and one of our top winemakers? Excellent wine that can be marketed at a really high price! The tasting center is stylish and they offer a very elegant tasting. You are welcome to ask them to show you around the cellar.
Engelbrecht / Els has cleverly built two brands: Ernie Els and Guardian Peak. The Ernie Els wines use only first fill oak. They then pass the barrels over to Guardian Peak who produce more easily accessible wines—in terms of both drinking and price! As such, both estates are well worth a visit and they are next door to each other.
Rust en Vrede: Note that this estate is really close to Ernie Els Estate, so if you’re in the area, you should visit Rust en Vrede, as well. This estate is home to the icon brand, which is simply called the Rust en Vrede Estate blend. It has been rated by US Wine Spectator as one of the TOP 100 WINES in the world, in most years out of the last 10 years. Note that the estate’s restaurant is highly rated and worth booking to eat at. It is, however, only open in the evening.
This Article was written by Pamela McOnie who contributes to the foodie side of this website and also offers private guiding services and gourmet & wine tours of the Cape region.
Have a question for Pam or want to have Pam guide your next tour to Cape Winelands? Contact us today.
