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Visiting the wonderful wineries in Stellenbosch was truly one of the most fantastic days of my life! Let me show you all the great wineries and more that this cute little village near Cape Town, South Africa has to offer. I have been to many wine areas around the world but Stellenbosch is still my favorite (close call with Blenheim in New Zealand though).
Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch is a very cute, picturesque village. It is located at a 30 min drive east of Cape Town airport (CPT). The streets look so pretty here, colonial white houses, green lanes, pink flowers, cute school girls in uniforms, red velvet cupcakes and a cup of tea at The Birdcage or Mila… Love Cake, Love Life. Believe me, you will love it too.
Those who know me, know that I am a true wine lover. So of course, when in the Cape Town area, I had to go to Stellenbosch. Visiting a selection of the wineries in Stellenbosch allows you to taste some of the best wines of the world. Here are some of my favorites spots.
Asara wine estate & hotel
This place… Asara Wine Estate & Hotel is true a dream wedding location. An award winning 5 star hotel that looks perfect, super friendly staff, amazing landscape and flowers, romantic, fantastic wines… Not a punishment to eat and sleep here either… You can imagine we loved every second of it!
I suggest to make advance reservation for wine tasting and/or a tour at Asara. Should you want to take a tour through the wine cellar, then make sure you get an appointment for 11:00h or 15:00h (Mon-Fri). Gin tasting and beauty treatments also belong to the possibilities at Asara. And several golf courses are nearby.
Peter Falke
An idyllic lane with beautiful big trees, pretty colonial houses, white roses, lavender, a cute blonde labrador lies in the green grass and a mesmerizing view to the Helderberg mountains… Now meet Peter Falke. A winery that allows visitors to walk in its beautiful environment without appointment.
The traditional gabled Cape Dutch buildings of the wine estate date back to the 18th century. The Falke family has been doing business in South Africa since 1969. Peter Falke was born in Germany. His dream to own a farm came true when he acquired Groenvlei in 1995. His French wife Danièle is responsible for the interior design. And yes, the wines taste as good as the place looks.
Rust & Vrede
Rust & Vrede is another colonial, idyllic wine estate, located somewhere in between Peter Falke and Bilton. Since 1977 the Engelbrecht family produces red wines here, with a focus on Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot. Rust & Vrede has a wine cellar and an excellent restaurant, once chosen by President Nelson Mandela to be served at the Nobel Peace Prize dinner and hosting the Queen of Denmark for lunch.
So lunch is a very good idea here (12:00h-15:00h, 240-260R). Rust & Vrede does not take reservations. Lunch is served on a first-come basis, so it might be smart to be there around 12:00h. Tasting the full range of 7 wines costs 80 Rand.
Bilton
Bilton is a relatively small wine house. The setting is great if you want to escape a bit from the sunshine and cool down inside for a bit. Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon are served, along with good snacks.
Open Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00h and Sat/Sun 10:00-16:00h. You do not need an appointment at Bilton, you can simply walk in. Wines are served in the lounge and restaurant areas, and in the tasting room the wines are served with Belgian chocolate!
The above highlighted selection is my personal recommendation. The wineries mentioned are of good quality and rather close to each other, so they can be easily visited together in one day.
More wineries
Yes, there are more. Waterford, Warwick, Vergenoegd, Neethlingshof… The list of excellent wineries in Stellenbosch seems endless. Excellent wineries where you can also sleep: Jordan, Spier, Delaire Graff and Marianne. Enjoy!
Please note that some of the wineries only offer tours and wine tastings a few times a day and usually close around 17:00h. There are multiple wine routes, the hotels and wineries have maps of the routes. The blue and red routes were my favorite.
How to get around
Bike
You might want to rent a bike to go from one winery to the other. If your accommodation does not have bikes available, you could go to or ask the Adventure Shop to deliver rental bikes to you. For guided wine tours by bike you can also check Bikes ‘n Wines.
Rental car
Getting from Cape Town airport to Stellenbosch and around Cape Town is most convenient with a rental car. The ride from Cape Town airport to Stellenbosch should take no more than half an hour (25 km) by car.
For rental cars, I am a big fan of Sunny Cars. Most Dutch professional travel agents use them and they are SMART! Sunny Cars is an all-inclusive, worry free rental concept with affordable, fair prices, great service and no unpleasant surprises upon pick up or drop off. Ideal, I use them all the time! No 4×4 is needed to drive to/around Etosha NP.
Tour
A guided group tour can add a lot of fun and expertise to your trip to Stellenbosch, especially as solo traveler and when not wanting to drink and drive, also possible as day trip from Cape Town!
Beyond Stellenbosch
Want to visit more or other wineries? Or heading north(east) anyway and want to make a nice stop-over along the way? North(east) of Stellenbosch there are some top class wineries/vineyards with amazing views and wines. You might want to consider visiting the following:
- Simonsig (12 min)
- Delheim (15 min)
- Boschendal in Simondium/Franschhoek (17 min)
- Diemersfontein in Wellington (35 min)
Africa Dream Trip
This is the 4th part of the Africa Dream Trip blog series. Not sure if you are familiar with the first three articles in this series?
- Soweto, horse riding safari & cheetas Africa Dream Trip part 1
- Etosha National Park in Namibia – Africa Dream Trip part 2
- Discover Gorgeous Namibia – Africa Dream Trip part 3
Cape Town
The 5th and final part of the Africa Dream Trip blog series will be about Cape Town. It is still to be published. I hope you find these articles useful and that you will be able to visit South Africa and Namibia yourself soon. Please feel free to share this article on social media or with friends, family, etc. who have plans to go there. Also, please feel free to leave a comment or question below.
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Last Updated on 08/26/2020 by Elisa Flitter Fever
