First growths, stellar newcomers and historic favourites make up our list of The Seven Best Wine Estates in the Western Cape. Our selection here is driven primarily by the quality of wines they produce, to give you a taste of the finest wines in the country. There’s plenty of debate about which of SA’s estates produce the best wines – and there’ll be a couple of debatable omissions from our list – but our focus is on the opportunity to accessibly taste some of South Africa’s most iconic wines, in the spaces they call home.
We’ve also chosen to focus on those within relatively easy reach of Cape Town for ease of access – though there are plenty of wonderful, award-winning options up the coast in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and Walker Bay, in particular (calling all Pinot Noir fans!) – they’re probably best explored from a base in the area, for convenience’s sake. There are also a couple of serious producers who either don’t offer visits to the winery, or those which require appointments to visit – we’ve omitted those, to allow for a bit of freedom of choice during your stay in the Cape.
If you’re looking for a fun day out in the winelands, experiencing some novel things (and learning about wine along the way), check out our list of The Seven Best Wine Tasting Experiences in the Western Cape instead.
