IT’S NOT the first year that picnics have been offered alongside the Maanschijn winery at the Stonefields farm on Route 43 between Stanford and Hermanus, but they’re getting a reputation as an artisanal experience worth checking out. Best to book at least a day in advance of when you’d like
AND THEN there were two… Many who love wining and dining in South Africa’s Cape winelands have fond memories of lunching alfresco on the lawn at De Meye Estate along the Muldersvlei Road in Stellenbosch, up the way from Elsenburg College. Well, since mid-November ’24, the same team behind The
THREE CAPE wine farm restaurants have retained their rankings among THE most highly rated establishments in the annual JHP Gourmet Guide to South Africa’s best fine-dining destinations, with 13 more making the cut for the Top 50. In the 2025 edition of the online publication, as per the 2024 edition,
IS THERE anybody who’s a fan of South Africa’s Stellenbosch wine route and who hasn’t yet seen or heard about the croc across the water from the The Jordan Restaurant, Cellar Door and picnic lawns at the estate? It’s been there for a while, actually – a statue (?) that
STARK-CONDÉ. In the Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch. On the Oude Nektar farm, to the south-east of the town. Home to one of South Africa’s most highly rated white blends, a Sauvignon Blanc of note, a fine Cabernet Sauvignon and then some. Among the recommendations at their Postcard Café: either chicken piccata
CONSTANTIA GLEN. Down the main road from the Constantia Nek traffic circle for those travelling via Hout Bay or Bishop’s Court / Newlands in Cape Town. Home to some of South Africa’s most highly rated blends – white and red – over the past 10 years, as well as a
BEYERSKLOOF. Stellenbosch. Just outside the town on the R304 to the N1. Home to some of South Africa’s most highly rated Pinotages and Cape Blends over the past 10 years, as well as the Red Leaf Bistro. The Pinotage Burger goes for R155, the Pinotage Pizza for R165, perhaps accompanied
BEAUMONT. Bot River. Just off the N2 between Elgin/Houhoek and Caledon. Home to one of the most highly rated South African Chenins over the past 10 years. Recommended with Hot Smoked Trout (R160pp) or an interesting salad (R85) at their Zest Deli – R110 for a glass of the Hope
IT’S GOODBYE to the Longtable restaurant at Haskell Vineyards and hello to Stellenbosch Reserve – for lunch (Tue-Sun) and dinner (Thu-Sat), classy yet casual, and a tasting room offering wines from the ‘Stellenbosch Collection’. Think pizza and chicken from the rotisserie, but also a lamb dish, beef fillet, pan-seared fish…
IF YOUR WINERY is fairly off the beaten track, perhaps your tasting room isn’t attracting quite as many guests as you’d like and you want to bolster your public profile, to take things to the next level, why not relocate where you do your entertaining? The Vondeling farm is in
IF YOU DEFINE the Simonsberg Wine Route in Stellenbosch as including those cellars on either side of the R44 between the boundary with Paarl to the north and Stellenbosch suburbia to the south, before you turn east to the Helshoogte Pass in the direction of Franschhoek, then there are only
THEY’RE IN AGREEMENT… The Top 3 places to eat at on South African wine farms are Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia, La Colombe at Silvermist in Constantia and La Petite Colombe at Leeu Estates in Franschhoek, i.e. included among both the 3-Star Restaurants honoured at the Eat Out Awards of
