Stellenbosch Winelands Connoisseur Day Tour with Private Transfer

You'll meet your guide at your hotel or accommodation in Cape Town at 9am, and will then set off in an air-conditioned minivan to begin a full-day tour of the Stellenbosch Winelands. You'll arrive at Kanonkop Wine Estate, which is situated at the foothills of the Simonsberg Mountains. Experience their full-bodied, top quality reds during a standard wine tasting. Celebrate their award-winning Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon wines surrounded by the estate’s investment gallery in one of the oak maturation cellars.

Travel towards Franschhoek and stop at Eikehof.  Nestled in the shade of lush green old oak trees, this family-owned winery has belonged to the Malherbe family since 1903. Today, Francois Malherbe is the fourth generation of family winemakers and still makes wines in the very cellar that his great-grandfather did. The name “Eike" means “oak” and wine-tasting is usually done under the shade of the majestic Old Oaks.  You can taste a selection of some of Eikehof’s best varietals: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Your next stop is Haute Cabriere, which offers exquisite views across the Franschhoek Valley. Their tasting room, situated adjacent to the Cellar Restaurant, offers a unique wine-tasting ‘theatre’ experience in an underground auditorium within the Pinot Noir barrel maturation cellar.  The intimate journey through Haute Cabrière’s history and wine philosophy continues with a cellar tour and sampling of their wines; including the remarkable Chardonnay Pinot Noir and Pierre Jourdan Cap Classique. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the wine master use their famed French cavalry sabre to open bottle after bottle, adding dramatic flair to this exceptional tasting adventure.  If you start to feel peckish, opt to visit gourmet restaurants in Franschhoek, known as the culinary capital of South Africa or have lunch at the estate’s cellar restaurant – which is built into the side of the Franschhoek Mountain. (Optional food pairings or meals will be at your own expense.)

During your free time at lunch, you’ll have time to soak up the history of the French Huguenots who arrived in the Seventeenth Century, shop for knick-knacks and bric-a-brac along the main street or savour a charcuterie plate and tasty local creations. For an extra historic flair you could choose to replace one wine tasting with a visit to the spectacular Franschhoek Motor Museum, home to an array of auto-classics enough to impress any motor-maniac. Tour the expansive de-humidified halls as you marvel over the authentic presented vehicles, ranging from bicycles to Formula 1 cars.

Next, you’ll visit Rust en Vrede – a 321-year-old estate specializing in producing bold red wines. Enjoy a master tasting of the estate’s wines while surrounded by fine Cape Dutch architecture. Rust-en-Vrede produced the first South African red wine nominated for the Top 100 Wines of the World, and former president Nelson Mandela chose to serve their wine at his Nobel Peace Prize Dinner. After your master tasting, you'll travel back to Cape Town to reach your hotel by 5pm. The drive, with its views of Table Mountain on the horizon, is a fitting way to end a tour in the Cape’s Winelands. Please note: The wine estates visited are subject to change without notice on the day of your tour.