African Wines and Winery Tours

[Saul]

Has anyone added a winery tour to their safari? Are there any African wines that you feel are underrated?

 

[WAB]

We have. There are world class wines produced in Stellenbosch. In fact, one of the wines for the Prince of Monaco’s wedding was produced by Annandale.

Personal favorites are Hannibal by Bouchard Finlayson and Oude Nektar at Starke-Conde. Anything by Herman du Toit is going to be outstanding.

We stay at the Coopmanhuijs in Stellenbosch and drive to the vineyards. We have visited many of the best wine regions of the world. This is a favorite.

 

[JimP]

We took the whole tour of a number of wineries on my first trip. We toured along Southern coast from Port Elizabeth to Capetown and then hit the wineries from there on our way to Lesotho.

I am no way a wine drinker but doing the sampling I found a number of them that I would enjoy.

Sorry, I can't tell you any of the names since it's been 10+ years but I highly recommend a detour to stop at a number of them.

 

[Saul]

If you cannot tell, I am trying to seduce the wife into a longer trip.

 

[WAB]

If you cannot tell, I am trying to seduce the wife into a longer trip.

My wife loved it. Best of luck with the planning!

 

[WAB]

If you cannot tell, I am trying to seduce the wife into a longer trip.

PM if you want more detail.

 

[mdwest]

We finished our safari in the NW Province and flew to Cape Town for a few days a couple of years ago, then took a day to drive over to Stellenbosch and toured two wineries (and also a raptor sanctuary that was owned by, and next door to the winery.

Both tours we did were on par with tours I’ve done in Napa… maybe slightly less than tours I’ve done in Italy…

I thought they were well worth the day trip..

 

[Betterinthebush]

Thank you @Saul for starting this thread.

 

[Grandpa Moose]

My daughter is a somolie if thats how you spell it. She was in RSA this summer checking out wine and wineries. PM me and I can share her contact

 

[Bandera]

We have done two after hunt wine tours. We stayed in Stellenbosch.
Many wineries in that area.
La Motte is one we have visited twice.
Boschendal
Jordan
Glenelly

 

[odonata]

My daughter was working on an agricultural project in Mozambique so I flew over to hang out with her for several weeks. We did some photo safaris in Botswana & Zambia before arriving in Cape Town. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the Stellenbosch region has some nice wine tours.

We wound up going on a tour with a group that was mostly a bunch of Canadian mining engineers. We went to half a dozen different places & made a full day out of it with wine, cheese & a big lunch. Since my daughter was a horticulture major, we also spent a day at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens which was really nice.

I'm not a big wine drinker but I like a white wine whenever I make chicken piccata or have sushi. I had a Chenin Blanc while I was there that I like so much that I brought back several bottles with me.

 

[Hornedfrogbbq]

De Toren was our favorite tour but you have to make a reservation. We stayed in Franschhoek and drove there and to Stellenbosch to do tours. My wife and daughters loved it. Stunningly beautiful areas.

 

[Jagerrand]

My wife joined me for safari in Limpopo in 2023. We extended our stay with several days in Cape Town. We stayed at Blackheath lodge, which we really enjoyed. Did private tour of the cape one day and the Winelands one day. We loved Cape Town.

 

[Flipper Dude]

Rust en Vrede winery is one of the nicest places you will ever visit. In Stellenbosch. World class restaurant, but if not up for that, don’t miss the Winemaker’s lunch in the cellar. Easily one of the best steak and frites ever.

If you want a guide to put it together, I’ve got a man for that. Excellent

 

[rifletuner]

I worked in South Africa for a couple of years (almost entirely in Joburg). I was lucky enough to get flown to Cape Town for the office christmas party one year. Because I was working and had limited time for personal trips, I could only slip away to Stellenbosch for about 2/3 of a day. And due to the time of the year it was stinking hot on my day off (about 110F).

But it was a fantastic experience. Some really lovely wineries there, and great scenery. A lot of the winery buildings are stunning - both old and new. Good wine and also a lot of good brandy there. I could easily spend several days there. Hopefully will get back there again.