Winelands of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Stellenbosch Winelands are just a short 45-60 minute drive from Cape Town, South Africa. We took a private chauffeured drive to the area, so we were able to just sit back and enjoy. I think Andrew had enough driving on our 10 Day Namibian Road Trip anyhow.

Rupert & Rothschild

Our first stop was Rupert & Rothschild. I picked this winery because Vivino said it has wines that fit are taste profile, however, we are not Merlot drinkers. If you are a Merlot drinker, you may love it, but we did not. The one white wine (Chardonnay) was the only one that was palatable. Furthermore, only a few wines were from South Africa. The facility and environment was beautiful though!

Tip: Before you take Vivino’s suggestions, look at the varietals. In all fairness, R & R had blends of wines we really like, but they were all blended with Merlot, which we don’t like.

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Vrede en Lust Estates

Next we stopped at Vrede en Lust, at the recommendation of our driver. He grew up in the Stellenbosch area (and dated someone at the estate :)), so was able to get us in there. I’m so glad we made a stop here since we ended so early at R & R.

Their white wine were really tasty. The reds weren’t bad, but were on the lighter side. We prefer big, bold Syrahs. I ended up purchasing the Fume Blanc, Viognier, and Anni (Elgin Sauvignon Blanc). I haven’t cracked them open, but will most certainly update this post once I do.

Boschendal

This is probably the most commercialized estate in all of the Stellenbosch Winelands of South Africa. Though heavily trafficked, it wasn’t overly crowded. I’ve been to some places in Napa that were way worse.

The wines were ok. Andrew had the red wine flight, and I had the MCC (bubbles) flight. I liked that they offered several different types of tastings.

Tip: If you appreciate wine, avoid commercialized wineries. I have found that overly commercialized wineries lose their magic in wine making. They try to make so many varietals to please everyone, they end up not being excellent at anything. It could be that we have high standards and are kind of snobby.

Food was fantastic, though. I didn’t take any pictures because we were starving, but we order all of The Werf small plates with our tasting.

The grounds were also beautiful. It was a super place to have lunch and walk around.

Tokara

We finally found a red that we loved at Tokara! The Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was bold and beautiful, so we bought a bottle. Now the other reds that we tasted were nice, but Tokara was more up our alley. I think we are used to California reds, so maybe we have a skewed perspective.

We also purchased a couple of whites: Reserve Chardonnay and Limited Release Chenin Blanc. They were so nice, but we haven’t opened the bottles yet to taste them individually to really do a proper rating.

Grounds at Tokara were also gorgeous! We sat on the enclosed patio with sliding glass doors. It was a little warm in the sun, but the wines were nice and views were excellent.