Wine Tours in Cape Town. Immerse Yourself in the Local Splendour of the Cape Winelands and Wine Tasting in Cape Town!

When it comes to the Wine experiences of South Africa, the Cape Winelands is one of the best wine regions in the World. The Cape Winelands has the most scenic landscape, the best wine farms, and wine tour experiences to explore. There are plenty of tailor-made and the best wine tours in Cape Town offered by different wine specialists and wine estates. 

Unique Experiences of the Cape Wine Regions and Wine Tasting in Cape Town

Wine tasting in Cape Town and a visit to the Cape Winelands is a rewarding experience. We have some great benefits that put us on par and ahead of many of the other wine regions around the World. Cape Town is in the major wine-producing areas compared to other wine regions in the World. For the many wine regions around the World, it is generally quite a distance to travel from the closest port of entry to visit these wine estates. 

Spectacular Cape Wine Regions

In Cape Town, we have the spectacular cape wine region of Constantia that is a 20-minute drive at the most from the city centre. And the wine regions of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek are all under 1 hour of driving from the city centre. Even the outlying wine-producing districts such as Worcester is just over an hour. Robertson being at best a 1h30 minutes from the city centre of Cape Town. All of the cape wine regions are accessible and fantastic for anybody interested in Wine Tours in Cape Town. 

History and Wine Regions of South Africa 

To better understand the Wine regions of South Africa and the wines produced in South Africa . We need to go back in history a little bit. The Dutch settlers arrived in Cape Town in 1652. They discovered that the Mediterranean climate was ideal for the making of good wines. The Dutch settlers planted the vineyards for that purpose. The Wine-makers were restricted to produce good dessert wines, the sweeter variety as well as red wines. As a result, South Africa became well known for the dessert wines and red wines. 

The Discovery of Cold Fermentation in Tulbagh

Early in the 1950s, cold fermentation started in the Tulbagh area on the Twee Jonge Gezellen wine estate. This process was essential for the production of good white wine. A barrel of wine was placed under a cold mountain spring reducing the temperature of the contents. The result was a good white wine from this barrel.

The Making of Vin De Constance Wine

Vin de Constance was the wine that gained prominence in the early days before the cold fermentation process. The sweet wine is from the Constantia wine region at Klein Constantia wine. This dessert wine was made in small volumes and was only available to a select audience in the early days. Vin de Constance was very popular but only available to royalty and the rich. One of the early supporters of Vin de Constance wine was Napolean. He was permitted to receive a daily measure of Vin de Constance while banished to Saint Helena. 

Wine Tours in Stellenbosch.

On a visit to the Cape Town wine region, you leave the city of Cape Town at around 08:00 am. During the Wine Tours in Cape Town, exploring the city centre of Stellenbosch is one of the top things to do. Stellenbosch is a beautiful old town and centre of the wine region. The term’ spectacular cape wine region will not be complete without Stellenbosch.  

History of Pinotage Wines in South Africa

There is a variety of different wines produced in the Stellenbosch wine region. Pinotage is our very own South African cultivar developed in the Stellenbosch wine region by Professor Harold Perold. He decided to cross Pinot Noir with Hermitage rootstock and created wine out of this named Pinotage. He found that this was a good full-bodied red wine. Professor Perold published his findings but, the agriculture faculty did not take it up.

After the passing of the professor, his former student passed his old residence and saw that the property developers were removing his vines. The student managed to stop them and saved the grapevines that he later took to Elsenburg Agriculture College.

Kanonkop Wine Estate

 Kanonkop Wine Estate took these findings and developed Pinotage under the winemaker Beyers Struter who was at Kanonkop at the time. Mr Struter brought Pinotage to prominence and won many awards. Beyers Struter then eventually decided to leave Kanonkop Wine Estate. He then went and set up his own and purchased a property just across the valley from Kanonkop.

Beyerskloof Wine Estate

Beyers Struter had a 5-year restraint of trade agreement. He saw how the South African consumer arena was changing. More African communities are now discovering wines which is a huge growth area for the future. Struter developed a Pinotage wine that was easier to drink, a picnic-style wine marketed under the label Beyerskloof. The original Pinotage was a full-bodied red wine ideal when paired with a red meat dish. But it is also a wine that would not suit the palate of a new wine drinker. Today, Pinotage wine is still the traditional full-bodied Pinotage. Discover this when you visit Wine Estates in the Stellenbosch Wine regions, especially at Kanonkop Wine Estate. But for the new entrants, we have the Beyerskloof variety that is a much easier wine to drink. 

We also have a white Pinotage that is now available on any wine tours in cape town. They are still producing a variety of sparkling wines, white wines and red wines. Some of the newer estates, like the Ernie Els Wine Estate, are well known. Their wines are good but not rated as exceptional due to the location. 

KWV Wine Wines 

One of the historical wine cellars would be KWV that is in the Paarl wine region in the town of Paarl. The KWV wine cellar covers an area of over 50 acres in size. KWV had a monopoly in the export of wine when it was still a cooperative cellar. During the apartheid era, all of the wines produced by KWV wines were for export purposes. It was only the members of KWV that had access to the products out of this wine cellar. After the demise of the apartheid system, KWV became a private company still producing the same wines and spirits. In 2018, KWV Wine Cellar celebrated its centenary. A visit to the KWV wine emporium is another highlight for anyone interested to book wine tours in Cape Town.

By Africa Explore Safaris