Willem Adrian van der Stel — then the governor of the Cape — established this winery in Stellenbosch in 1694. The cellar was built in 1785, and the estate produced wine on and off until 1978. In 1978, Sringbrok rugby champ Jannie Engelbrecht bought the winery and started producing only top-quality red wines, focusing on cabernet, shiraz, and merlot. The winery was selected by Nelson Mandela to serve wine at a Nobel Peace Prize dinner.
Source: rustenvrede.com
One of the oldest and most revered estates on the continent, Simonsig is 45 kilometers from Cape Town in the Stellenbosch winelands. French Huguenot Jacques Malan settled in the region in 1688, and his family’s wine establishment followed. The brand is known especially for its Méthode Cape Classic, a champagne-style sparkling wine. Among the many whites and reds are Adelberg sauvignon blanc and a cabernet sauvignon shiraz.
Source: simonsig.co.za
Peter Finlayson of the winery Bouchard Finlayson was considered a master of the pinot, and his two sons, Peter-Allan and Andrew, studied philosophy and acting before following in their father’s footsteps. In 2007, they established Crystallum in the Walker Bay region, breaking out 4,134 bottles of sauvignon blanc. The brothers work mostly with pinot noir and chardonnay grapes.
Source: crystallumwines.com
In the middle of the Cape vineyards above the Franschhoek Valley, Chamonix is a wine farm featuring vintner Gottfried Mocke on vineyards dating back to 1688. Acquired by German-born renegade Chris Hellinger, Chamonix’s 17th century blacksmith quarters has been transformed into a tasting room and restaurant. Award winning wine like the pinot noir reserve, pinotage, and chardonnay reserve grace the shelves.
Today it’s named one of the world’s top 100 estates, but it has humble beginnings. Gyles Webb bought a run-down fruit farm with his family in 1983 at the Helshootge Pass in Stellenbosch. The wine’s popularity grew so fast, even the Queen of England gave her thumb’s up to the chardonnay. Webb opened his second vineyard in 2002, Sutherland Range, located in the coastal region of Elgin. A minty cabernet sauvignon or a passion-fruited sauvignon blanc await the patrons of both of Webb’s wineries.
South African golfing sensation Ernie “The Big Easy” Els had quite the fluid swing, and he brought his liquid genius into a winery that he opened in 1999 in Stellenbosch. Els has mastered the art of the grape. The proprietor said, “Wine is like golf. In both endeavors nature has the last ruling.” Winemaker Louis Strydom perfected Els’ desire for fine wine with the Bordeaux-style blend Ernie Els signature 2011, the proprietor’s syrah, and the Ernie Els cabernet sauvignon.
Source: ernieelswines.com
Simon van der Stel found the lushest soil and terroir in a hidden valley facing False Bay in the Western Cape, and he named it Constantia. The wine legacy began. In Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility,” Mrs. Jennings advocates Constantia “for its healing powers on a disappointed heart.” The estate changed hands over the centuries, from American heiress Clara Hussey to Duggie Jooste, who restored the grounds back to their original wine-making status. Today, owners Zdenek Bakala and Charles Harman host some lines steeped in history yet entirely pleasing to today’s palates.
Source: kleinconstantia.com
Located in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley (Valley of Heaven and Earth) near the old fishing town of Hermanus, Hamilton Russel produces arguably the country’s best pinot noir and chardonnay. Creator Anthony Hamilton Russell experimented with wine maturation tactics, using stoneware and terracotta amphora. Besides making perhaps the most unique, mineral-driven chardonnay on the continent, this vineyard is also up there when it comes to pinotage.
Source: cellartours.com, hamiltonrussesllvineyards.co.za
One of the most picturesque wine estate in South Africa, the high-altitude De Morgenzon has sweeping views over Stellenbosch. De Morgenzon (Dutch for “morning sun”) is precedent-setting for its white wine, especially its reserve chenin blanc. The farm was purchased in 2003 by Wendy and Hylton Applebaum. Considered innovative and eccentric, Hylton plays Baroque-era music to all of his vines 24/7, believing it helps them yield great fruit.
Source: demorgenzon.co.za
Renowned for its award-winning cabernet sauvignon, Vergelegen (means “situated far away”) has been reaching towards wine-making perfection since 1700. Simon van der Stel was the first governor of the Cape colony. His son, Willem Adriaan van der Stel, owned half a million vine stocks and cultivated the land with fruit groves. Through most of the 20th century, Vergelegen changed hands between the Philips and Barlows families until Anglo American purchased the property in 1987. In 1992 Baron Eric de Rothschild of the Château Lafite in France officially opened Vergelegen Estates. Besides the Vergelegen red, the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc are said to be some of the best in the Cape.
Source: vergelegen.co.za
