Stellenbosch Wine Route: Just 45 minutes from Cape Town, the Stellenbosch wine route is the oldest in the country and represents over 300 wineries. Because of this it is divided into a number of sub-routes to make it easier to travel: Bottelary Hills, Devon Valley Vintners, Helderberg and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch.

Bottelary Hills lies on the slopes of the Bottelary Mountain range with most of its vineyards facing north thus producing excellent red wines. This area is considered at the forefront of viticulture and viniculture when it comes to Pinotage. Devon Valley Vintners lies to the west of Stellenbosch. Most of the wineries are small and focus on red wines although they have also produced some enviable premium white and sparkling wines. Simonsberg-Stellenbosch is known as ‘Cabernet country’.

The town of Stellenbosch, which lies at the heart of this winemaking area, is a gorgeous, historical university town with some of the best-preserved Victorian and Georgian buildings along Dorp Street, itself a national monument. Its oak-lined streets are home to a number of excellent restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques and galleries. The university is the only one in South Africa with a viticultural and oenological department and Stellenbosch is home to one of the most modern experimental wineries in the world..