With the continuous rise in wine tourism, it’s only natural that wine estates are constantly looking for ways to reinvent themselves – this time, with a wider focus than just wine. While wine will always be at the centre of it all, travellers are searching for meaningful and more accessible ways to engage with the stories behind it. Luckily, South Africa's wine regions have many, many stories to tell, and wineries are constantly bringing these stories to visitors in creative and intentional ways.
Explore new experiences and flavours at Avontuur
Toward the end of last year, Avontuur Estate brought some newness to the winelands with their newly upgraded Cellar Door experience – a refreshed wine boutique that blends contemporary style with a seamless indoor-outdoor flow, inviting wine enthusiasts to linger. The new Avontuur Cellar Door offers guests the ideal space to slow down and appreciate the estate’s natural beauty.
In addition, they’ve also recently renovated the Avontuur Manor House, which features nine luxury suites, multiple lounges, a pool, a pavilion, and expansive lawns.
Stay, sip and savour Avontuur’s newly launched wine collections through a range of signature tastings – from The Taberer Family Reserve and the Avontuur Collection Tasting to The Thoroughbred Collection.
Boschendal’s new restaurant, Arum
New to Boschendal, the FYN Group’s latest addition, Arum Restaurant, has been receiving a lot of praise. With its name derived from the arum lily, a flower native to the Cape and one that grows abundantly throughout the valley, it’s only fitting that – true to the FYN brand – the restaurant is committed to regenerative and biodynamic farming, and naturally also farm-to-fire dining. The restaurant continuously aligns and grows with the seasons, and as they work together with Boschendal to preserve the land, they evidently harvest some of the finest produce to put on the plate.
Chef Travis Finch leads the kitchen at Arum. By using unique ingredients, live fire, fermentation, on-site harvests, and whole-animal butchery, the restaurant offers some truly special dining experiences. FYN Group sommelier and service and beverage director, Jennifer Hugé, has also curated an inspirational wine and cocktail programme, with a wine list that includes a selection of wines made specifically for Arum by Boschendal. They also offer a collection of incredible cocktails, bringing together craft, terroir, and innovation.
Brookdale Estate: Sip, savour and stay
For travellers seeking intimate spaces where they can relax with family and friends, Brookdale Estate’s The Owner’s Lodge could not have come at a better time. Fitting perfectly into the mold of multigenerational travel, The Owner’s Lodge is located on a secluded hill on the 67-hectare estate, offering guests an exclusive use, all-inclusive retreat. Surrounded by indigenous gardens that seamlessly blend with the surrounding natural landscape, it ties in with the initial guiding principle of sustainability that is so tangible throughout.
While staying at the lodge, try winemaker Xander Sadie’s newly released vintages, including the Brookdale Estate’s very first Grenache Noir, as well as a limited release Grenache Blanc (which produced under a thousand bottles only). Other new releases include the Brookdale Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2024, the Bradbourne Estate White Blend 2025, the Sixteen White Field Blend 2025, and the Twenty Red Field Blend 2025.
Of course, The Bistro at Brookdale Estate also adds to these new experiences, with its popular Thursday night Fire and Wine evenings that will be running until the end of September. Settle into the warm ambiance around the central fireplace and sip on a glass of wine while Chef Gary Coetzee works his magic at the grill.
Groot Phesantekraal experiments beyond a glass of wine
In collaboration with The Flavourist, Julian Short, Groot Phesantekraal in the Durbanville Wine Valley has recently launched an innovative collection of signature wine cocktails. According to their winemaker, Richard Schroeder, the project gave them the opportunity to see their wines through an entirely different lens. "Working alongside Julian was incredibly collaborative and creatively energising. There was a real sense of experimentation and play throughout the process," he says.
One of the cocktails, The Oubaas, will be available exclusively at Groot Phesantekraal’s restaurant throughout the month of July. It serves as an ode to Groot Phesantekraal’s patriarch, André Brink, affectionately known as Oubaas. This cocktail was built around the estate’s Sauvignon Blanc, combining crisp apple and citrus flavours with a refreshing, contemporary cocktail style while retaining the freshness and character of the wine. The cocktail is approachable and sophisticated at the same time, offering those brave enough to try it a new way to experience one of the farm’s favourite varieties.
Never a dull moment at Spier Wine Farm
Following the launch of Spier’s refurbished hotel and their new spa, there are many other new things to look forward to at this well-known wine estate. Their famous Picnickery has recently been upgraded in collaboration with restaurateur, designer and artist, Jacques Erasmus, and the tasting room has just launched a brand-new Winter Tasting experience.
Spier’s new spa has also added a new Winter Ritual Journey to their menu, which makes for the perfect winter day out in the winelands. Here, wellness is rooted in ancient plant wisdom and modern skincare science, and its apothecary-inspired interiors invite guests to slow down. The spa treatments at Spier all celebrate the power of indigenous botanicals and healing herbs. Think hand-blended scrubs and bath poultices – all used in the Cape Herbal Bath House – as well as body balms, nourishing oils, teas and tinctures, all unique to Spier.
Just beyond the Spier Hotel and Eerste River, guests can also now explore The Wilds – a restored tract of farm that tells the story of the Cape’s distinct seasons – accessed via a suspension bridge from the hotel’s gardens. This incredible piece of farmland has been rewilded with thousands of indigenous plants, grown by Spier’s nursery manager and horticulturist, Wilton Sikhosana. Ultimately, this protected ecosystem boasts a mosaic of wetland, fynbos, and renosterveld vegetation – all testament to the fynbos biome’s diversity and nature’s resilience when given space to regenerate.
Vergelegen continues to offer Stables’ signature hospitality at Firehorse
Following the March fire that gutted Vergelegen Wine Estate’s Stables Restaurant, the Somerset West-based estate responded with characteristic resilience and opened a temporary restaurant, Firehorse, in April, allowing time for Stables to be restored.
Seating 130 guests, Firehorse is located next to the legacy vineyard block, with interiors that pay tribute to the original Stables Restaurant’s equestrian heritage. Many of Stables’ menu items have been kept, with breakfasts including eggs benedict, French toast, smashed avocado on toast, and more, while lunch features starters and mains like French onion soup, West Coast mussels, bobotie, and grilled tiger prawns.
Vergenoegd Löw impresses with farm-style high teas and indigenous tastings
Since Chef Michelle Theron took over the reins at Vergenoegd Löw's Geuwels Restaurant, the estate has seen various exciting changes and additions where food and beverage are concerned. Apart from Geuwels’ incredible refurbishment, she’s also brought in some truly innovative menu items, with a completely new winter menu that was recently launched.
Further to Geuwels’ divine menu options, the estate’s Indigenous Tasting Experience (which was brought in last year) has now been extended with non-alcoholic pairings in addition to wine pairings. This experience offers carefully curated, non-alcoholic tipples alongside original indigenous bites (like a mini Caesar salad with bokkoms instead of anchovies) – all beautifully plated on a round, wooden plate. From an amasi-inspired drink, beautifully presented in a brandy glass, to a rooibos tea hot chocolate, each pairing has been meticulously crafted to bring out the flavours of the land.
Vergenoegd Löw has also recently started to offer a Farm Tea: their innovative take on the typical English high tea. With roosterkoek fresh from the grill, goose terrine and tea sandwiches made with mosbolletjies, you’re in for a truly unique and utterly nostalgic experience – all while sipping on an exclusive range of teas (or, perhaps a glass of Cap Classique).
Klein Constantia: Keeping you curious…
Whilst the cat is not entirely out of the bag just yet, there is certainly a lot to look forward to at Klein Constantia, too. With some reinvented spaces soon to be revealed, this is a wine farm you might want to add to your list of things to do come the new season.
Whether you’re looking for a memorable winelands escape, some experimental wine tasting experiences, or winelands storytelling through architecture, sustainability, and wellness experiences, these are some of the most exciting new things to do in the winelands this season.