Shade
comes early in the afternoon and
helps cool the area. Combined with
the sea breezes coming in off False
Bay, Constantia is one of the coolest
areas in the Cape. Estates
: Groot Constantia, Buitenverwachting,
Klein Constantia,
Uitsig and Steenberg www.constantiawineroute.co.za
Durbanville
083
310 1228
Close
to the cool Atlantic Ocean with deep,
well-drained soils the area produces
some of the finest grapes. Rapidly
losing its agricultural land to the
expanding city Estates
: Bloemendal, Altydgedacht, Meerendal,
Nitida, Diemersdal
and Durbanville Hills
Franshhoek
(+27
21) 876 3062
Synonymous
with wine making since the Huguenots
settled there 300 years ago. Considerable
variation of soil and climatic conditions,
as well as the location of the vineyards
- some high on the mountain slopes
and others along the river - have
resulted in a tremendous diversity
of wines. Some Estates
: Bellingham, Boschendal,
Clos Cabriere, La Motte www.franschhoekwines.co.za
Helderberg
(+27
21)852 6166
The
personalities of the wines are influenced
by the proximity of the ocean, the
cooling summer sea breezes and by
a wide variation in soil types. Some Estates
: Avontuur, Eikendal, Ken
Forrester, Kleine Zalze,
Vergelegen www.helderbergwineroute.co.za
Hermanus
(+27
28)312 2629
As
the name says, this region is "over
the mountain" - tucked into the
Glen Vauloch mountains on the outskirts
of Hermanus lies the Hemel-en-Aarde
Valley. The cool maritime climate
& the distinct soil type suit
Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay
vines. Estates
: Bouchard Finlayson, Hamilton
Russel, Whalehaven and
Cape Bay www.hermanus.co.za
Paarl
(+27
21) 872 3605
The
vineyards are distributed along the
length of the Berg River and on the
slopes of the mountains. This gives
Paarl wines a wide range of style.
The KWV cellars at La Concorde are
among the largest storage cellars
in the world. The KWV Cathedral Cellars
are impressive. Some Estates
: Backsberg, Fairview, Laborie,
Nederberg www.paarlwine.co.za
Stellenbosch
(+27
21) 886 4310
The
town is South Africa's wine capital.
Warmer than Constantia and cooler
than Paarl, its soils vary considerably
from well drained granite material
on the slopes of the mountains, to
wet, rather sandy material on the
more level land. 4 separate
wine growing areas can be distinguished
:
1.)
False Bay - Somerset West to
Stellenbosch. Some
Estates : Blaauwklippen,
Rust-en-Vrede, Spier
2.) Devon Valley - between Cape
Town and Stellenbosch Some
Estates : Clos Malverne,
Neethlingshof, Zevenwacht
3.) Between Stellenbosch and
Paarl Some
Estates : Muratie,
Delheim, Simonsig, Hartenberg
4.) Between Stellenbosch and
Franschhoek Some
Estates : Morgenhof,
Thelema, Delaire
