Visiting the Western Cape
Hi there! I’m Peter, founder of Culture Wine Co. South Africa is a country we love deeply, and we’re lucky enough to visit the winelands regularly. We put together this list as a starting point for anyone planning a trip – these are our favorite spots and experiences to help you have an amazing time exploring the Western Cape!
There are staggering amount of world-class restaurants and wineries to visit in the Western Cape of South Africa. Below is our not-so-short list of stops we would recommend as a starter for your planning. Pro-tip: many wineries have excellent restaurants on site (particularly in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Hemel-en-Aarde) so be sure to book a table for after any tastings! Our producers love visitors, too, so please feel free to reach out and tell them Culture Wine Co. sent you!
Planning Winery Visits:
Culture Wine Co. producers would love to meet you! Some do not have tasting rooms (Scions of Sinai, Processus, Klein Amoskuil), but they’re very open to personal tastings. I’d strongly recommend Klein Amoskuil if you go to the Swartland & Scions of Sinai in Stellenbosch. If you’re driving the Garden Route, be sure to visit Luddite, Genevieve, and Maanschijn in Bot River/Walker Bay – they DO have tasting rooms.
The former are all from my book – there are MANY more great producers I don’t represent that are worth considering: The Wine Arc, Klein Goederust AA Badenhorst, Porseleinberg, Raats, Rust en Vrede, Hamilton Russell, Creation, Alheit, Capensis, (to name a few).
You can also reach out to ex-pat, Tuanni Price of Zuri Wine Tours. She is an amazing resource, super connected, and plans the best winery visits!
Cape Town
Absolutely plan to hit up Zeitz while you’re in Cape Town. Def plan a hike up Table Mountain (no matter what they say, every route is challenging, but SO worth it). Bring a lunch for when you get to the top, you’ll be hungry. ABSOLUTELY plan a few hours at the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, too. Unbelievably beautiful and part of the year there are epic concerts here.
Make reservations at the popular restaurants as soon as you can. Chef’s Warehouse, La Colombe, Salsify, and Fyn are the top in the country and fill up fast. One thing I would recommend considering with these top restaurants is that they’re marathon meals. So, if you’re there for two weeks, I would book no more than two of them. I’d say do Fyn in Cape Town and Chef’s Warehouse Tinswalo (sunset is unreal).
Be sure to go to Leo’s Wine Bar, ask for Matthew, and tell him Peter from Culture Wine Co. sent you. It’s a bagel shop by day and sick wine bar by night. Always the best and most up-and-coming wineries poured there.
Where to Stay Cape Town:
Mount Nelson – Historic hotel in my favorite neighborhood to stay in, Gardens
12 Apostles Hotel & Spa – Epic views of the ocean in a quieter part of town.
Protea Fire & Ice Hotel – Great budget-friendly hotel that is centrally located.
O’Two Boutique – On the water, very close to downtown. This place has VIBES.
The Glen Boutique – Another vibey spot in a very nice, ocean-view area of Cape Town
Cape Town Restaurants
- Kloof St House
- Pot Luck club
- Leo’s Wine Bar
- Culture Wine Bar
- Publik Wine Bar
- Oranjezicht City Farm Market
- Hemelhuijs
- Sundoo
- Ouzeri
- Fyn
- La Colombe –(Must visit for a supreme fine dining experience)
- Chef’s Warehouse Beau Constantia
Just outside of Cape Town
- Chef’s Warehouse Tintswalo –(MUST visit book a table that sits just before sunset)
- Salsify
- Quentin at Oakhurst (Hout Bay)
- Harbour House in Fishhoek
Where to Stay & Eat Outside Cape Town
Stellenbosch:
Babylonstoren is a MUST for a splurge-stay. Everything you eat, drink, or even use for toiletries is grown on the property. They have incredible tours of their gardens, mountain tops, and greenhouses. Also, wonderful spa (must make ressies when booking), and pool. Also, fantastic restaurants. Funny enough, the only thing I don’t really love there is their wine, but worth a stay 110%. If you cannot stay there, book a table for lunch or dinner, and go early, ask them about borrowing a few bikes, and tour the property. Try to take a garden tour or another experience they offer. Everything they do is very well-done.
De Zeven – Excellent bang for your buck in the ridiculously beautiful Banghoek valley. I LOVE staying here and watching the mountains change color in the late afternoon as the sun sets
Angala Boutique Hotel – Up a dirt road and tucked into the mountains, this family-run boutique hotel is very eco-friendly and serves delicious food.. They even have an ‘eco-pool’ that has no chlorine, and is totally self-sustained (and sanitary). LOVED staying here.
Lanzerac -Reliable large-scale, high-end wine country hotel. This is home home of the first-ever bottled Pinotage, so a lot of history.
Delaire Graff – Unbelievably beautiful and classy. Clearly a 5-star hotel. The restaurant (both dinner and their EPIC brunch) is world-class. I enjoyed Delaire Graff, but if I am spending this kind of money, I want a bit more to experience and Babylonstoren does that.
Stellenbosch/Franschhoek/Paarl Restaurants
- Brookdale Estate* (Do a tasting and then lunch. Or stay a night or two and have a few meals there!)
- Rust en Vrede (great winery, do a tasting and a lunch)
- Post card cafe (at Stark-Conde winery do a tasting and a lunch)
- Dusk (no lights, unique experience)
- La Petite Colombe – (at a great winery, Leeu Passant. Do a tasting and a lunch)
- Le Paris
- Chef’s Warehouse at Maison
- Delaire graff (so beautiful, go for brunch)
- Babylonstoren (Hotel, restaurant, and winery. Absolutely worth the splurge for a night or two there.)
Where to Stay Franscchhoek:
La Cotte – The CUTEST little cottages nestled in the gorgeous Franschhooek valley. Such a beautiful estate that you’ll never want to leave.
Leeu – Leeu Estate is home is Leeu Passant winery, made by the uber-famous winemakers, Chris and Andrea Mullineux. The Mullineuxs also sell their eponymously named Swartland wines here, so not only will you receive 5-star service and views, you’ll get some of South Africa’s best wines at this hotel.
La Petite Ferme in is gorgeous! Not as much to do as Babylonstoren, but the location in the mountains, the view, and sunsets are unbelievable.
Where to Stay Hermanus:
Ridge House – This is my favorite way to end a trip to SA. Stay here, book a room with a wood-fired hot tub, and just relax. Bring binoculars because you can often spot whales or dolphin pods in the beautiful Walker Bay down below.
Genevieve – Yes, this is the same Genevieve that Culture Wine Co. imports! Imagine staying on a quaint working vineyard with the nicest people and peacocks, cows, and birds galore. This is Genevieve.
Where to Stay Swartland:
Koko Huis – Such a cute B&B in the very quaint town of Riebeek Kasteel
1 Royal Street Guesthouse – Also in Riebeek Kasteel, the owners are incredibly kind, have a wonderful, secluded pool, and make the most incredible (LARGE) breakfast for you each morning (with homemade croissants)
Strandloper Boutique Hotel – About 2 hours north of Cape Town, the quaint town of Paternoster is a must if you’ve got a couple days to CHILL. I would strongly recommend that you make a reservation at Wolfgat (below) and orient a trip to Paternoster around that.
AA Badenhorst – Do a pizza night (thursday’s only) and book a hotel room there the night of. Bring a bottle of wine you’re proud to share and be prepared to meet a lot of the best winemakers in the country - and share that bottle you brought!
Wolfgat – MUST make reservations far in advance. If you’re lucky enough to have a seat, be sure you’re planning to stay the night nearby. Mostly foraged and locally caught food from nearby. An extremely unique and delicious experience. You’ll see a lot of Culture Wine Co. producers on the list 
What Wineries to Visit?
*Denotes a Culture Wine Co Exclusive Producer-Partner
Contantia Wineries
- Processus*
- Beau Constantia (Processus is made here by BC’s head winemaker; amazing restaurant here!)
- Klein Constantia
- Buitenverwachting
Swartland Wineries
- Magna Carta*
- Klein Amoskuil*
- Donovan Rall*
- NativO
- AA Badenhorst
- L’Equinox
- Sadie Family Wines
- Mullineux
- Mother Rock
- Intellego
- The Wine Kollective (amazing retail shop in Riebeek Kasteel)
Stellenbosch/Franschhoek/Paarl Wineries
- Scions of Sinai*
- Brookdale Estate* (worth booking a night or two at their hotel)
- Van Hunks Drinks* (Made at Villiera)
- Atlas Swift
- Craven Wines
- Leeu Passant
- Capensis
- Rainbow’s End
- Delaire Graff
- Rust en Vrede
- Starke-Conde
- Fairview
- Khayelitsha’s Finest Wines – In Khayelitsha Township. Must contact prior
Walker Bay/Hemel-en-Aarde/Elgin Wineries
- Luddite Wine*
- Genevieve*
- Maanschijn*
- Newton-Johnson*
- Momento
- Saurwein
- Hamilton Russell
- Bouchard Finlayson
- Domaine des Dieux
- Alheit
- Restless River
- Creation
- Paul Cluver
- Iona
- Richard Kershaw