Tour Itinerary
The Unpretentious Sommelier
So you want to learn about wine, but don't want to sit in a stuffy tasting room with Mr. Know-it-all sitting next to you who was clearly born on the vine itself, and knows far more about wine than you may ever aspire to? You'd like to learn and explore and have a good laugh with a great guide on a well-planned trip, and not HAVE to spit it out?! South Africa Backpackers has a trip that'll make a believer out of you!
The Route
This full day tour departs daily from Cape Town, and stops in three of South Africa's most affluent and world-renowned wine growing regions.
Paarl, the first stop proudly bears the title of the third-oldest town in South Africa. Standing tall on Paarl Mountain and celebrating the birth of Afrikaans is the Afrikaans Language Monument and just outside Paarl is Drakenstein Prison, where Nelson Mandela spent his last years of captivity and started his walk to freedom. This area is ideal and caters for diversity: while Shiraz is their signature cultivar a wide range of other styles also perform extremely well.
The next stop on the journey is Franschhoek which has one of the oldest vigneron traditions dating back to the 16th century. Some of South Africa's oldest and most famous wine estates are found here. These Grand Old Cape-Dutch farmhouses and wine stores have watched proudly over the land for centuries; and the vineyards & wine estates still produce some of South Africa's top wines today.
Stellenbosch, just 45 minutes from Cape Town, occupies the perfect terroir for grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and the a truly South African clone of Pinot Noir and Hermitage: Pinotage. Beyerskloof Estate is our winery of choice in this region, whose owner won the Robert Mondavi award in 1991 for International Winemaker of the Year.
The Wines
* Chenin Blanc
* Sauvignon Blanc
* Chardonnay
* Rose & blush
* Voignier Muscate
* Pinotage
* Merlot
* Merlot
* Cabernet Sauvignon
* Fortified wines
* Cap Classique (champagne)
The Cellar Tour
* History of South African wines
* Ageing and maturing wines
* Grape varieties
* Elevage of champagne
* Blending wines
The Lunch
An a la carte lunch will be served on one of our stops, and caters for every taste, from scrumptious burgers to decadent mushroom pastas and salmon salads…giving you enough energy to refuel and recharge, ready for the last leg of our wine-inspired wandering!
The Inside Story
The best part of taking a trip is exploring the road less travelled…which is why we'll take you to a few spots that we consider to be the best kept secrets of the Cape winelands. You'll get to taste Belgian chocolate in Franschoek, some of the best cheeses made from goats and cows milk and calamata olives if we can source them!
