Cape Town, South Africa- Day 2- Stellenbosch = WINE

Stellenbosch Valley, generally referred to simply as Stellenbosch, is located 31 miles east of Cape Town. It, along with the Paarl and Franschhoek Valleys, form the Cape Winelands. The South African wine industry produces about 1,000,000,000 liters of wine annually.

Here is Wikopedia’s description of the area. “The region has a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and cool wet winters. Stellenbosch lies at the foot of the Cape Fold mountain range, which provides soil favourable to viticulture. Grapes grown in this area are mainly used for wine production, as opposed to table grapes. The region possesses a wide range of soils in the area, from light, sandy soils to decomposed granite. Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is beginning to get a good reputation as a fine wine.”

Our private tour took us to four Stellenbosch wineries. The wines and the wineries were all excellent, equal to or better than Napa’s offerings. Pinotage, a grape developed in South Africa in 1925, is a unique cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. We were fortunate to taste the top-rated pinotage at our second stop. Excellent.

Rustenberg Winery

Lavenir Estate
Their Pinotage is a wonderful wine.