Our favourite winter wine pairings

Friday, 17 July, 2026

wine.co.za, Jeanine Malan

Warm up winter with this list of some of our favourite wine pairing experiences across the Cape Winelands.

Alto biltong and wine pairing

The biltong and wine pairing is one of the tasting experiences you can enjoy when visiting Klein Alto, Alto Estate's temporary home on Bonte Rivier Vineyards (formerly Bilton Wines). Take a seat inside the historic cellar building, the Atrium, or outside on the deck with panoramic views of the Helderberg Mountain as you embark on a flavour journey featuring a selection of locally sourced biltong, specially spiced and cured in Alto wines. The experience highlights Alto Rouge, Alto Shiraz, Alto Cabernet Sauvignon, and Alto Estate Blend. Each wine is paired with a different biltong – barbeque, smoked, salted, and parmesan and truffle. It's a decadent celebration of award-winning red wines and South Africa's favourite savoury snack.

Where: Klein Alto, Stellenbosch
Opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 10h00 - 17h00
Cost: R195 per person
Contact: 021 881 3884 | info@altowines.co.za

Click HERE to book.

Blaauwklippen's arancini and wine pairing

One of the newest winter offerings at the intimate Blaauwklippen Tasting House is their delectable Arancini and Wine Pairing. It includes four wines and four arancini rice balls: Chenin Blanc and a scampi arancini topped with lemon butter sauce; Chardonnay and a mushroom, creamy truffle oil and parmesan arancini; Rosé and a butternut arancini topped with creamy napolitana sauce; and De Blaauwe Klip and an oxtail arancini topped with oxtail jus.

Where: Blaauwklippen Tasting House, Stellenbosch
Opening hours: Monday - Saturday, 10h00 - 18h00; Sunday, 10h00 - 17h00
Cost: R230 per person
Contact: 021 880 0133 | info@blaauwklippen.com

Click HERE to book.

Hot chocolate and wine tasting at Durbanville Hills

Warm up this winter with Durbanville Hills' much-loved Hot Chocolate and Wine Tasting. This playful and indulgent experience pairs four Durbanville Hills red wines with four handcrafted chocolate bombs, each designed to melt into steaming milk and reveal layers of rich flavour. Discover the delicious combinations of Cabernet Sauvignon with coffee and hazelnut; Merlot with dark chocolate, mint, and raspberry; Pinotage with dark chocolate, cherry, and Turkish delight; and Shiraz with cinnamon and nutmeg. Add a splash of wine to your hot chocolate and experiment to find your perfect balance of comforting warmth and sophisticated flavour. Discover this truly memorable winter treat. Available until 31 August 2026.

Where: Durbanville Hills Tasting Room, Durbanville
Opening hours: Monday, 12h00 - 16h00; Tuesday - Friday, 10h00 - 16h00; Saturday & Sunday, 11h00 - 16h00
Cost: R240 per person
Contact: 021 558 1300 | info_durbanvillehills@heineken.com

Click HERE to book.

Hazendal's series of baked cheese and wine pairings

As the season shifts, so too do the flavours at Hazendal's Wine Lounge. The team presents a new series of monthly Baked Cheese and Wine Pairings, each thoughtfully curated around a wine from cellarmaster Kiara Scott Farmer's inaugural Estate Collection and paired with a baked cheese. July showcases the Hazendal Estate Chenin Blanc 2025 paired with Wineland Camembert, served alongside fresh honeycomb, fig and gooseberry relish, dried fruit and seed cracker, and sultana brioche. The August experience highlights the Hazendal Estate Pinotage 2025 with Dalewood Fromage Brie, complemented by pickled blueberries, red onion and cranberry chutney, black pepper cheese crackers, and peppered brioche, creating a rich and comforting winter pairing experience.

Where: Hazendal Wine Lounge, Stellenbosch
Opening hours: Monday - Sunday, 10h00 - 17h00
Cost: R295 per person
Contact: 021 903 5034 | reservations@hazendal.co.za

Click HERE to book.

Soup and wine winter pairing at Neethlingshof

Neethlingshof's soup and wine pairing is the perfect winter warmer. In this pairing, the Neethlingshof tasting room is serving up four seasonal soups, each thoughtfully paired with a wine that tells a different part of the historic wine estate's story. The First Flower Chenin Blanc is paired with spiced butternut soup, the Estate Merlot is matched up with a rich tomato soup, the Cabernet Sauvignon-led Caracal Blend is paired with cream of mushroom soup, and finally, the conservation-inspired Owl Post Pinotage is paired with a hearty lentil soup.

Where: Neethlingshof Wine Tasting Centre, Stellenbosch
Opening hours: Monday - Friday, 09h00 - 17h00; Saturday & Sunday, 10h00 - 16h00
Cost: R195 per person
Contact: 021 883 8988 | info@neethlingshof.co.za

Click HERE to book.

Fireside dessert and wine pairing at Perdeberg

Pop by Perdeberg's tasting room to choose from their variety of tasting options, like their new Fireside Dessert and Wine Pairing. Take a seat by the fireplace as you enjoy this sweet journey, featuring four premium Dry Land Collection wines. These include the Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Natural Sweet Chenin Blanc, and Fortified Chenin Blanc. Each is paired with a classic South African dessert: a dark chocolate brownie, malva pudding, cheesecake, and pastéis de nata – a decadent celebration of dry-farmed, award-winning wines and sweet treats.

Where: Perdeberg Cellar, Paarl
Opening hours: Monday - Saturday, 09h00 - 17h00; Sunday, 10h00 - 17h00
Cost: R195 per person
Contact: 021 869 8244 | tasting@perdeberg.co.za

Click HERE to book.

Spier 21 Gables winter pairing

Winter at Spier invites time to slow down, savour, and let the farm do the rest. This seasonal pairing brings together earthy, thoughtfully composed dishes with the depth and structure of their 21 Gables range – each considered for balance and texture, allowing both the food and the wine to take their turn. The tasting begins with a white bean velouté and parmesan toastie with mushroom soil, paired with 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2023 – a refined expression of their signature variety. A beetroot and blackberry cracker follows alongside 21 Gables Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, before the tasting draws to a close with a dark chocolate torte and a glass of Spier 21 Gables Pinotage 2020.

Where: Spier Tasting Room, Stellenbosch
Opening hours: Monday - Sunday, 09h00 - 17h00
Cost: R180 per person
Contact: 021 809 1147 | winetasting@spier.co.za

Click HERE to book.

Waterford Estate's wine and chocolate experience

This one's for the chocoholics! Indulge in South Africa's original Wine and Chocolate experience, a perfect pairing of three Waterford Estate wines with handcrafted chocolates by chocolatier Richard von Geusau. Start by pairing the Waterford Kevin Arnold Shiraz with masala chai dark chocolate, where the wine's dark fruit and aromatic spices meet the cinnamon, cardamon and cloves of the chocolate. Next, it's the Waterford Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and rock salt dark chocolate: As with any meaty dish and a robust red wine, the salt in the dark chocolate pairs perfectly with the Cabernet Sauvignon and adds additional smoothness. Lastly, the Heatherleigh dessert wine is paired with rose geranium milk chocolate. The fragrant floral and fruit flavours of this deliciously sweet and fresh dessert wine are elevated by the smooth milk chocolate enriched by rose geranium oils.