EXPLORE Durbanville Wine Valley

DURBANVILLE WINE VALLEY

Country kitchens, award-winning wines, and unique experiences await at the Cape’s northern vineyards. BY THEA BECKMAN

Tucked behind a series of rolling hills, a short 20-minute drive from the beating heart of Cape Town awaits a verdant oasis of sumptuous wine-and-dining experiences. One minute you’re driving past the cookie-cutter suburb of Burgundy Estate, and the next minute you’re embraced by 360-degree views of vineyards and bucolic countryside. This is the Durbanville Wine Valley, and with vineyards planted as early as 1702, it’s one of the ‘OGs’ of the Cape and a most wonderful way to while away a day, or many days!

The Durbanville Wine Valley is a cool climate region, much like its Cape wine compatriots Constantia, Elgin and Walker Bay. Bathed in the chilly maritime air that flows inland off the Atlantic Ocean, the grapes grown on the flanks of the Tygerberg Hills ripen slowly, developing complex aromatics and flavours. This is why Durbanville holds great repute as Sauvignon Blanc country; so much so that every spring, the route celebrates with a Season of Sauvignon wine festival.

As for variety, well, there are 15 wine estates along this route, each of which offers a unique and rousing repertoire of wines, food and tasting experiences. In fact, one could strike into Durbanville’s rolling hills every day of the month and still manage to unearth new and exciting gems. Let’s go exploring…

1. DURBANVILLE HILLS

www.durbanvillehills.co.za

First stop is Durbanville Hills, with a chocolate-and-wine tasting, which is just one of a lengthy menu of food-and-wine pairings on offer here. This particular one features a flight of five single-varietal wines perfectly paired with handmade chocolates from Knysna.

2. CANTO WINES

www.cantowines.co.za

For another sweet pairing, try Canto Wines’ MCC and macaron tasting: a sublime marriage of the estate’s four different bubbly wine creations with hazelnut, red velvet, Turkish delight, and salted caramel macarons.

3. MAASTRICHT WINE ESTATE

www.maastricht.co.za

Ready for something savoury? Make a beeline for Maastricht’s seasonal cheese platters and traditional Dutch bitterballen, the most delightful accompaniment to the estate’s range of white, red and rosé wines.

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4. KLEIN ROOSBOOM

www.kleinroosboom.co.za

For an o -the-beaten-track adventure, duck into one of Klein Roosboom’s themed ‘caves’ – tiny, intimate cellar spaces – to sip your way through their delicious range of boutique wines. After, or perhaps (prudently) before wine tasting, enjoy Jéan Deli’s daily blackboard menu of freshly baked breads, pies, farm-fresh salads and other delicacies in the vineyards.

5. D’ARIA WINERY

www.dariawinery.co.za

Alternatively (or additionally), The Terrace at D’Aria serves up the kind of simple yet delicious fare that totally hits the spot after a day of wine tasting. Think wafer-thin pizzas, multichromatic sushi plates, fragrant grilled seafood and indulgent pastas.

6. DIEMERSDAL

www.diemersdal.co.za

Then, at Diemersdal, which produces 10 di erent styles of Sauvignon Blanc, including a sparkling wine, reserve and noble late harvest, there’s The Farm Eatery, which favours shared dining experiences, seasonal ingredients and bold experimentation.

7. DE GRENDEL WINES

www.degrendel.co.za

If it’s fine dining and wine you’re after, De Grendel serves up contemporary local cuisine crafted quite specifically to pair with its repertoire of award-winning wines. Of special note is the flagship Rubaiyat, a rich and velvety Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

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This is, quite honestly, a mere fraction of the food and wine experiences on o er throughout the Durbanville Wine Valley. But what other exciting diversions does this historic wine region have to o er? I’m glad you asked…

8. MTB AND TRAIL RUNNING AT BLOEMENDAL

www.bloemendaltrailpark.co.za

Start your day with a run or mountain bike through the network of rugged trails that criss-cross Bloemendal Wine Estate’s outback. There are trails for all fitness levels and, when you’re done, the Bloemendal Trail Park Café and Bar o ers some well-deserved libation.

9. SIGNAL GUN WINE SAFARI

www.signalgun.com

Hop into Signal Gun’s safari truck (wine in hand) for a tour through its vineyards and up to Hoogeberg’s Game Camp for a chance to spot the regal eland antelope, as well as springbuck, zebra, ostrich, and other smaller animals and birds.

10. SUNDOWN SUNDAYS AT DURBANVILLE HILLS

www.durbanvillehills.co.za

Finally, coming full circle, there’s Sundown Sundays (3–6pm) at Durbanville Hills, which, as the name promises, is all about seeing out the weekend on a high note with delicious wine, cheese platters and early dinner options from the estate’s bistro, the Olive Grove.

WHERE WILL YOU GO NEXT?

www.durbanvillewine.co.za

The Durbanville Wine Valley is the progenitor of some of South Africa’s best wines, from the tried-and-trusted favourites of Durbanville Hills, Nitida, Hillcrest and De Grendel to the hidden gems of Klein Roosboom, Canto Wines, Groot Phesantekraal and Altydgedacht. So, the next time you’re in the mood for a little spoil, look no further than Cape Town’s northern vineyards and its constellation of fragrant cellars, country kitchens, terroir-driven wines and unique, wine-soaked experiences!

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