ABOUT

The Stellenbosch Wine Route is 48 kilometers (31 miles) from Cape Town.

This oldest of wine routes was established in 1971 with only a handful of members. Until then the region was almost exclusively a white wine producing district as were most at the time - but has since become world renowned for its award winning red wines.

Farmers were delivering their grapes to a central body, KWV, but soon the need to bottle wine under their personal labels was too great, so they attacked the matter in Quixotic style, undaunted, until they had the freedom to do so.

Membership has since grown to 120 with some 300 suppliers of that most delicious fruit of the vine. Almost all member wine estates are open to the public for wine tasting, cellar tours and sales. Wines can be delivered both locally and internationally. Many have picnic facilities or restaurants offering something to tantalise even the most discerning of palates from vintner's platters, to traditional South African dishes, exciting Mediterranean offerings and elegant French cuisine.

The Stellenbosch Wine Route is divided into five sub-routes, namely the Stellenbosch Berg, Stellenbosch Hills, Greater Simonsberg, Bottelary Hills and Helderberg. Look out for the clearly marked signboards dotted along the route with the SWR logo and name of the estate.

The first grapes were planted by the then Governor of the Cape, Simon Van der Stel, in 1679, after he established Stellenbosch, the oldest town in the country after Cape Town. Stellenbosch is known not only as the heart of the Winelands, but the jewel of South African Tourism and a prime international tourist destination.