THE NUMBERS go some way to painting the picture! Fifteen of South Africa's Top 20 Cabs are from Stellenbosch. Cabernet Sauvignon, that is. Ten of the country's Top 20 wines from Pinotage are WO Stellenbosch. Eleven of the Top 20 Red Blends. Also, 11 of the Top 20 Chenins are from here, and nine of the Top 20 Chardonnays. Details of the SA Wine Classification here.
People come from around the world to revel in it. Places of beauty. Plus, Stellenbosch gives Franschhoek stiff competition when it comes to the title of Gourmet Capital of the Cape winelands. Besides the tables and bar counters in the town itself, the numerous countryside options make for a book on the subject. Some of the top meal-time destinations: Delaire Graff and Glenelly, Hidden Valley and Jordan, Rust en Vrede and Tokara. Not forgetting the Pinotage burger at Beyerskloof, the farm kitchen at Muratie, the Forresters' 96 Winery Road, the picnics at Warwick…
See below for the top cellars in the area and what they're best at. For the names of exactly which wines from the area have the best track records, see the Classification. The producers with best track records overall are as follows:
Bottelary: Hartenberg and Kaapzicht.
Devon Valley: Botanica.
Helderberg: Alto, Eikendal, Hidden Valley, Ken Forrester, Le Riche, Rust en Vrede, Stellenrust and Uva Mira.
Helshoogte: Delaire Graff, Neil Ellis and Tokara.
Jonkershoek Valley: Stark-Condé.
Koelenhof: Simonsig and Villiera.
Polkadraai Hills: Boschkloof.
Simonsberg: Delheim, Kanonkop, Rustenberg and Warwick.
Stellenbosch Kloof: DeMorgenzon and Jordan.
Vlottenburg: Raats and Spier.
Also: Beeslaar, Beyerskloof, Distell, Glenelly, High Road, Kleine Zalze, Neethlingshof and Vilafonté.
For all of the Top 100 in the SA Cellar Classification, click here.
STELLENBOSCH‘S TOP CELLARS
Alto – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blend, Shiraz
Asara
Strongest Suit: Red Blend
Bartinney – Banghoek
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay
Beeslaar
Strongest Suit: Pinotage
Beyerskloof
Strongest Suits: Pinotage, Pinotage-led Blends
Boschkloof – Polkadraai Hills
Strongest Suit: Shiraz
Botanica – Devon Valley
Vinification at Zorgvliet
Strongest Suit: Chenin Blanc
Cavalli – Helderberg
Strongest Suit: White Blend
De Toren – Polkadraai Hills
Strongest Suit: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend
De Trafford – Upper Blaauwklippen Valley
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Shiraz
Delaire Graff – Banghoek/Helshoogte
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet-led Blend, Cape Port, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend
Delheim – Simonsberg
Strongest Suits: Noble Late Harvest, Pinotage
DeMorgenzon – Stellenbosch Kloof
Strongest Suits: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Red Blends, Shiraz, White Blend
Distell
Strongest Suits: Cap Classique Sparkling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Chardonnay, Noble Late Harvest, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Shiraz-led Blend
Edgebaston – Simonsberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Eikendal – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Merlot-led Blend, Shiraz-led Blend
Erika Obermeyer
Strongest Suit: Shiraz-led Blend
Ernie Els – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Shiraz-led Blend
Glenelly
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blends, Chardonnay
Groenland – Bottelary
Strongest Suit: Shiraz
Guardian Peak – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Shiraz-led Blend, Straw Wine
Hartenberg – Bottelary
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Chardonnay, Shiraz
Haskell – Helderberg
Strongest Suit: Chardonnay
Hidden Valley – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz-led Blend
High Road
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Merlot-led Blend
JC Le Roux – Devon Valley
Strongest Suit: Cap Classique Sparkling
Jordan – Stellenbosch Kloof
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz
Kaapzicht – Bottelary
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Chenin Blanc, Cinsaut, Pinotage, Pinotage-led Blend
Kanonkop – Simonsberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Pinotage
Kanu
Strongest Suit: Chenin Blanc
Keet – Polkadraai Hills
Strongest Suit: Cabernet-led Blend
Ken Forrester – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Chenin Blanc, Red Blend
Kleine Zalze
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cap Classique Sparkling, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz
Kleinood – Upper Blauwklippen Valley
Strongest Suits: Rosé, Shiraz
L'Avenir – Simonsberg
Strongest Suits: Chenin Blanc, Pinotage
Lanzerac – Jonkershoek
Strongest Suits: Chardonnay, Pinotage
Le Riche – Helderberg
Strongest Suit: Cabernet Sauvignon
Longridge – Helderberg
Strongest Suit: Chardonnay
Lyngrove – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Pinotage, Pinotage-led Blend
Meerlust – Faure
Strongest Suit: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend
Middelvlei – Devon Valley
Strongest Suit: Red Blend
Miles Mossop
Strongest Suits: Cabernet-led Blend, Noble Late Harvest, White Blend
Mont Destin
Strongest Suit: Shiraz
Mulderbosch – Polkadraai Hills
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc
Muratie – Simonsberg
Strongest Suit: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend
Neethlingshof
Strongest Suits: Cabernet-led Blend, Gewürztraminer, Noble Late Harvest, Pinotage
Neil Ellis – Helshoogte
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
Nico van der Merwe – Polkadraai Hills
Strongest Suits: Shiraz, Shiraz-led Blend
Oldenburg – Banghoek
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc-led Blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Shiraz
Peter Falke – Helderberg
Strongest Suit: Cabernet Sauvignon
Raats – Vlottenburg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc-led Blends, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage
Radford Dale – Helderberg
Strongest Suit: Shiraz-led Blend
Rainbow's End – Banghoek
Strongest Suit: Cabernet Franc
Remhoogte – Simonsberg
Strongest Suit: Chenin Blanc
Reyneke – Polkadraai Hills
Strongest Suits: Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz
Rust en Vrede – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Shiraz-led Blend
Rustenberg – Simonsberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Straw Wine
Simonsig – Koelenhof
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Cape Classique Sparkling, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Pinotage-led Blend, Shiraz
Spier – Vlottenburg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blends, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend, Shiraz-led Blend
Stark-Condé – Jonkershoek Valley
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blends, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, White Blend
Stellenbosch Hills – Vlottenburg
Strongest Suit: Shiraz-led Blend
Stellenbosch Vineyards – Vlottenburg
Strongest Suits: Chenin Blanc, Grenache Noir, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, Shiraz-led Blend, Verdelho
Stellenrust – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
Super Single Vineyards – Stellenbosch Kloof
Strongest Suit: Shiraz
Thelema – Simonsberg/Helshoogte
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Chardonnay, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Roussanne
Thistle & Weed
Strongest Suit: Chenin Blanc
Tokara – Simonsberg/Helshoogte
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Chardonnay, Noble Late Harvest, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend, Shiraz
Uva Mira – Helderberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc-led Blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz
Van Biljon – Polkadraai Hills
Strongest Suit: Cabernet-led Blend
Vilafonté
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon-led Blend, Merlot-led Blend
Villiera – Koelenhof
Strongest Suit: Cap Classique Sparkling
Warwick – Simonsberg
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet-led Blend, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
Waterford – Upper Blaauwklippen Valley
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blend
Zevenwacht – Kuils River
Stongest Suit: Sauvignon Blanc
Zorgvliet – Banghoek
Strongest Suits: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend
