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The 10 Best Wine Tasting Spots in Stellenbosch for Your Refined Palate
Stellenbosch is known primarily for being home to South Africa’s most acclaimed wines and vineyards. The City of Oaks is the country’s viticultural capital and the premier spot for South African wine production and research, which makes it the perfect place to go wine tasting!
Because I’m a big fan of wine (not just drinking it but also of its production and the science that goes behind fermentation and all that stuff), Stellenbosch is a town near and dear to my heart. When I want to go wine tasting, I always have it at the top of my list!
If you’re curious and want to start expanding your wine palate, then here are some of the best wine tasting spots I’ve been to in Stellenbosch!
Rust en Vrede
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Website: https://rustenvrede.com/tasting-room/
Address: Annandale Rd
Phone: +27 21 881 3881
Price: $$
With their wines being recipients of accolades such as the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Award, Rust en Vrede’s 300 years of experience and expertise make it one of the premier wine tasting places in Stellenbosch.
I visited Rust en Vrede once for their wine tasting and winemaker lunch, which are offered from 12 to 3 PM during weekdays. I opted to have my wine tasting and lunch in the underground cellar. The tasting room staff and curators helped me further understand the wine creation process and which wines I would’ve wanted to select.
My favourite of the Rust en Vrede wines that I tasted was their classic Cabernet Sauvignon, which was aged for 18 months and had this dynamic, rich taste with hints of vanilla, chocolate, and cherries. It simply tasted marvellous!
| Pro tip: Rust en Vrede is also home to the Rust en Vrede Restaurant, which pairs their wines with a rotating menu of food made from the freshest ingredients. |
Lanzerac Wine Estate
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Website: https://lanzerac.co.za
Address: Lanzerac Wine Estate, Lanzerac Rd
Phone: +27 21 887 1132
Price: $$
Now known as the Lanzerac Hotel, the Lanzerac Wine Estate is one of the most iconic, luxurious vineyards in Stellenbosch. Situated next to the Jonkershoek Mountains, it stands out for its wide range of wines and unique tasting room.
The Lanzerac Wine Tasting and Deli offers three specific packages for their wine experiences, which centre around two of their main product lines.
There’s the Jonkershoek Range tasting, which includes tastings of their Pinotage Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay, and the Heritage tasting, which centres around their flagship wines such as the Lanzerac Cap Classique Blanc de Blancs Brut.
I opted for their Wine and Chocolate tasting, which paired their Jonkershoek line with artisanal chocolate. I found that their chardonnay paired incredibly well with this almond dark chocolate and tasted divine!
| Pro tip: For larger gatherings, Lanzerac offers private tastings for groups of 20 people or more, both at the main location and in the Western Cape! |
Waterford Estate
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Website: https://www.waterfordestate.co.za
Address: Upper Blaauwklippen Rd, Helderberg Rural
Phone: +27 21 880 5300
Price: $$$
The Waterford Estate offers a unique wine tasting experience that can be as simple or as comprehensive as you want it to be, ranging from simple wine tastings at the vineyard to wine drive safaris and walks through the estate’s 120 hectares of land.
I took my mother on a wine drive safari here, and we had a grand time! Their farms and vineyards truly are a thing of beauty, made even better by the management’s commitment to sustainability and creating all-natural, environmentally friendly wines.
The wines that they offered us were their award-winning red wines, such as the Estate Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and their signature wine, “The Jem.” The latter was the most memorable one because it had such a unique, velvety, and fruity taste!
| Pro tip: The Waterford Estate also runs SALT, a fine dining restaurant which focuses on a rotating menu of food from around the world, from seafood carbonara to Chinese pork belly. |
Delaire Graff Estate
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Website: https://www.delaire.co.za/
Address: Helshoogte Rd
Phone: +27 21 885 8160
Price: $$$
Ranked as one of the most prestigious wineries in the world, Delair Graff Estate offers a luxurious wine tasting experience with its selection of unique, delicious wines.
With their wine lounge overlooking Simonsberg Mountain, their curated tours will leave you truly appreciating their craft.
These are led by their “wine tutors,” some of whom are directly involved in the creation of the wines. As someone slightly knowledgeable about wine, I liked that they clearly knew what they were talking about while being friendly to people who weren’t too familiar with wine.
I went for their Icon Wine tasting, which involved iconic kinds of wines such as their Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinotage Rosé.
The best part of the tasting, in my opinion, was how the wine tutors guided us through finding the unique tastes of each wine, whether by telling us to focus on a specific aroma or pairing it with a specific kind of meat or cheese on the charcuterie board.
| Pro tip: The Delair Graff Estate Icon Wine Club offers exclusive deals on Delair Graff wines and invitations to events at the estate. |
Oldenburg Vineyards
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oldenburgvineyards/
Address: Oldenburg Vineyards, Banghoek Rd
Phone: +27 21 885 1618
Price: $$$
One of the more quaint vineyards on this list, Oldenburg Vineyards nonetheless stands out because of its unique, beautiful location amidst the Banghoek Valley and the Rondekop Hill and its commitment to quality over quantity.
They specialise in the creation of red and white wines, with around 10 or so signature ones. Their tasting room was quite a tranquil, peaceful place, with soothing music and friendly curators.
My wine tasting experience of choice was the 8 Elements tasting, which provided us with the three tiers of Oldenburg wines: red wines, white wines, and blends/dessert wines.
My favourite pairing was Merlot with a piece of goat cheese. The wine had a deep, rich grape taste.
| Pro tip: Worried about spills and messes? The wine tasting rooms will have sommeliers at the ready to clean your hands and any other mishaps that happen during a tasting! |
Delheim Vineyards
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Website: https://delheim.com
Address: Knorhoek Rd
Phone: +27 21 888 4600
Price: $$
Located on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains, the Delheim Vineyards are a long-running, family-owned wine estate with a truly extensive range of wines. They have classic flavours, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and more complex recipes, such as their Chenin Blanc Wild Suckle.
They have two wine tasting rooms, one on the garden patio and one in their cool downstairs cellar. I went for a premium tasting on their garden patio to enjoy the countryside views of Table Mountain and the Stellenbosch fields.
It involved a tasting of their Family Premium range, which was the more unique wine recipes I mentioned earlier. The aforementioned Cherin Bland Wild Suckle was particularly memorable because of its sweeter, more citrusy taste that paired well with the crackers they provided.
| Pro tip: The Delheim Vineyards also has a garden restaurant which has a limited but delicious menu of healthy food, such as grilled chicken salad and roasted aubergine. They also have meat and cheese platters for sharing. |
Stark Conde Wine Estate
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Website: https://stark-conde.co.za/
Address: Oude Nektar Farm Jonkershoek Valley
Phone: +27 21 861 7700
Price: $$
One of the more underrated wine estates in Stellenbosch, Stark Conde stands out for their beautiful, picturesque location and vineyard. They offer organic, hand-made wines which have gained a unique flavour profile because of the vineyard’s high altitude.
Their tasting room sits on the slopes of Jonkershoek Valley, offering a uniquely vibrant and gorgeous ambience. I enjoyed sitting there and taking in the views while talking to friends and fellow wine tasters.
Stark Conde’s wines stand among the competition, with their Syrah Expressions being a particularly unique tasting experience. The Syrah drinks offer a lot of unique flavour profiles depending on whether you mix them or not, and I found that I preferred the Three Pines Syrah most of all.
| Pro tip: If you enjoy Stark Conde’s views, you may want to book a night’s stay at their cottage! |
Spier Wine Farm
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Website: https://www.spier.co.za/
Address: Spier Wine Farm R310, Baden Powell Dr, Lynedoc
Phone: +27 21 809 1147
Price: $
The Spier Wine Farm is guided by a simple maxim: good wine from good people grown in good soil. True to its ethos, this storied, centuries-old wine farm is a particularly gorgeous getaway with gracious hosts and incredibly good wine.
Located in the middle of their vineyard and their hotel, the Spier Wine Tasting Room has both an outdoor area with a riverside and mountain view as well as a beautiful interior.
I found the tasting room to be quite vibrant and lively, which somehow made their delicious wines taste even better! I chose the Winemaker Selection tasting, which had a little bit of everything in their catalogue.
My favourite wines from the collection were definitely the classic red wine from the Fran K. Smith collection, as well as their signature Chenin Blanc. The former was earthy, rich, and wasn’t too strong, while the latter was a little lighter in taste and paired well with the piece of Parmigiano from the charcuterie board.
| Pro tip: If you somehow find yourself with your kids when doing a wine tasting at Spier Wine Farm, worry not, because they also offer Children’s Grape Juice Tastings to give kids an idea of what the experience is like! |
Vredenheim Wine Estate
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Website: https://vredenheim.co.za/
Address: R310 Baden Powell Dr, Lynedoch
Phone: +27 21 881 3878
Price: $$$
A truly unique all-in-one destination in the middle of Stellenbosch, Vredenheim merges two of South Africa’s biggest cultural exports into one vast wine farm, that being wine and wildlife.
On my visit, I was surprised by how the vineyard and the tasting room overlooked a tiger enclosure! Thankfully, the alcohol content of the wines wasn’t too strong, because after the wine tasting, I was also able to go into their Big Cat Park and see the tigers, leopards, and lions up close.
I joined the Proelokaal wine tasting experience, which was led by a host who guided us through different selections of wine paired with tasty and unique hors d’oeuvres. I particularly loved the Chardonnay paired with smoked crocodile carpaccio, as well as the Vredenheim Port paired with aged parmesan shavings and danya chutney.
| Pro tip: Vredenheim Wine Estate prides itself on being a go-to events place for corporate teambuildings, wedding receptions, and even kids’ birthday parties! |
Blaauwklippen Wine Estate
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Website: https://www.blaauwklippen.com/
Address: Strand Rd, R44
Phone: +27 21 880 0133
Price: $$
As the oldest running business in South Africa (founded all the way back in 1862!), Blaauwklippen Wine Estate is a more laid-back winery with a bunch of unique things to do for all sorts of visitors.
That being said, their award-winning wines and wine tasting experiences are clearly the stars of the show here.
Foregoing the usual tasting room, Blaauwklippen instead has a “tasting house,” which is a building that hosts several rooms dedicated to seasonal wine pairings.
While I liked all of them, I was particularly fond of the margherita pizza paired with the Cabernet Franc. It paired really well; the tanginess of the tomato sauce and the sweetness of the cheese went along with the richness of the wine.
| Pro tip: Blaauwklippen also has a bike park and a jungle gym for kids! |
