Cape Winelands
Three towns in the Cape Winelands and the region in the middle of the city. Constantia is the closest and the oldest, operating since the 1680s, and it is twenty minutes from the sea. Stellenbosch is the working town: oaks, a university, and the greatest concentration of premium cellars in the country. Franschhoek is the tranquil one, between the mountains. Wine tasting at beautiful cellars and meals amongst the vineyards.
The oldest wine-growing land in the country and the closest to town. Wine has been made on these slopes behind Table Mountain since the 1680s, twenty-five minutes from the city and twenty from the sea. It is the one part of the Winelands that works as a half day. A tasting, a long lunch under old oaks, and back before the afternoon is gone. Sauvignon blanc and the old-style sweet wines are the specialty.
The working town. Oak-lined streets, a university, and the biggest concentration of premium cellars in the country. Forty-five minutes from the city, and a trendy town worth exploring during your wine day.
A single valley closed off by mountains on three sides, settled by French Huguenots in 1688, and now the densest run of serious restaurants in South Africa. Come for the food as much as the wine. An hour from the city, and small enough to ride from one end to the other, which is the best way to see it.
on the back roads.
Our ebikes ride the Franschhoek Valley and the Constantia Forest into vineyards, farm tracks, oak avenues, and the gravel roads between estates.
Constantia by E-Bike
Shaded lanes between South Africa’s oldest estates. Oaks the whole way nestled among Cape Town’s indigenous forest. The half-day ride, a short commute from the city centre.
Guided · 2–3 estates · tastings arranged · no long transfer · half day
Stellenbosch by E-Bike
Over the Helshoogte Pass into the Banhoek valley, on conservancy trails through orchards and along the Dwarsrivier. More riding than tasting, and the one for people who actually cycle.
Guided · Banhoek Conservancy trails · permits arranged · half day
Franschhoek by E-Bike
Flat enough between the estates that the motor is almost a courtesy. Two or three cellars on the valley floor, a long lunch, and the bikes handle the climb back out.
Guided · 2–3 estates · tastings arranged · half day
When should I come?
February to April is harvest. The cellars are working, the smell is extraordinary and the people who make the wine are actually there. It is the best time and most visitors miss it. May to August is green and wet and the tasting rooms light fires. Almost nobody comes, which is the point. September to November is the valley at its greenest before the heat. January is thirty-eight degrees by two in the afternoon and the rooms are full of people who booked nothing.
Short version
Harvest: Feb–Apr · Fires and empty rooms: Jun–Aug · Hottest and busiest: Dec–Jan
What would you skip?
Five tastings. These are serious wines and three is already a long day; two and a proper lunch is better than four and a blur. The wine tram in high season, unless the queue is part of what you came for. And Franschhoek as the only stop. It is the most photographed of the three and the least representative — Stellenbosch and Constantia are where most of the interesting work is happening.
Instead
Two cellars, slowly · One small grower · Harvest if you can time it · A pass on the way home
How far is it, and how long do I need?
Constantia is twenty-five minutes from the city, Stellenbosch about forty-five, Franschhoek an hour. A full day covers two estates and a long lunch. Most people go home the same evening; if you would rather not, the guest farms in the valleys are the reason to stay.
Practical
25–60 minutes · A full day · Or a night on a wine farm
Where the day starts
Ocean and passes
Red rock and dark skies
North, and flatter
Plan a day inland.
Tell us when you are here and what pulls you. We will shape the day around you.