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

 

 

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