The Durbanville region is known for its cooler climate wines and its wine route currently has ten wine farms offering a wide array of styles and cultivars. They are: Bloemendal, D’Aria, De Grendel, Diemersdal, Durbanville Hills, Groot Phesantekraal, Klein Roosboom, Maastricht, Meerendal, and Nitida.
Durbanville celebrates its 200th anniversary next year. Wine has been made here since the late 17th century and many farms have been in the same family for generations.
My husband Clifford and I recently decided to explore the region and its offerings. We booked accommodation at Meerendal Wine Estate's historic Cape Dutch homestead. Dating back to 1702, it has been converted into a charming boutique hotel. After arriving at the homestead, we sat down in front of the fireplace with glasses of red wine so that our frozen feet could defrost before heading to the new tasting room for the first wine tasting of our trip.
Meerendal's head winemaker Wade Roger-Lund showcased wines from the premium selection, including the recently released The Heritage Block Pinotage 2023.This wine is from South Africa’s oldest vineyard producing Wine of Origin Cape Town Pinotage, which was planted in 1955. It is also the source of an all-new, virus-free "Meerendal" pinotage clone that has been five years in development in association with Vititec.
Meerendal's wine heritage started in 1702 when 60 000 vines were planted. 322 years later, the farm continues this proud history, with 150 000 vines on the estate. The Meerendal cellar dates to 1943 when 20 open concrete fermentation tanks and concrete storage tanks were built. While these are still in use, the cellar now has modern stainless-steel tanks and winemaking equipment, blending tradition with innovation.
Meerendal is a family-owned vineyard and was one of the first 14 farms to be awarded wine estate status when the Wine of Origin legislation was introduced in 1993.
As you leave the property, a little sign declares "Live the moment" and it is so in tune with our mission for these couple of days.
We meet friends for a long lunch at Evert Opstal Restaurant. Evertsdal Homestead dates to 1680, when the land was leased by the Dutch East India Company to one of the earliest settlers at the Cape. Abraham Evert, originally from West Guinea, received a sum of money to grow fruit and vegetables on the land. Evert also erected a fortified building to protect a spring that was the source of the Kuils River.
The farm was sold 19 years later to Hendrik Eksteen, who converted the old fort into a wine cellar. The original old wine machinery and wine barrel are still on the farm today. Evert also built a homestead on the property in the then Cape Dutch vernacular.
After a part of the building was destroyed by fire, the house was renovated in the Victorian style. However, the Cape Dutch gable was later recreated and replaced. Evertsdal Homestead has had several owners over the years, with the Schabort family enjoying the longest period of ownership from 1855 to 1973.
Today the lovely restaurant in the old wine cellar pays real homage to South African food heritage. In front of the fire, the heritage cuisine can let you forget about the world outside for a couple of hours.
The afternoon is earmarked for a visit to Durbanville Hills – a relatively young wine label with the first vintage in 1999 – but where heritage and the lessons of the past are part of every hectare of vineyard and every bottle of wine.
Durbanville Hills has an engaging, self-guided visitors centre that offers a captivating journey into the world of winemaking, from vineyard to bottle. It is located in the maturation cellar and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the winemaking process, allowing visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship that goes into creating award-winning wines.
The visitors centre features an interactive map that highlights the unique contours of the area, the proximity to the ocean, and the locations of their grape farmers. These insights provide visitors with a comprehensive view of the cool climate terroir and the distinctive features of the area. Different displays share a wealth of information about the various wine ranges, a step-by-step guide to the red and white winemaking processes and maturation, and valuable tips on how to properly store your wines at home.
Within a central pod, virtual reality headsets transport visitors into the world of the flagship Tangram range and the Collectors Reserve range, each bottle named and visually representing one of Cape Town's iconic landmarks.
No booking is required for the Durbanville Hills Visitors Centre and entry is free of charge. But, if you want to enjoy innovative wine tastings, dine at the internationally acclaimed Tangram Restaurant, or enjoy a relaxed meal at the Olive Grove Bistro, you'll need to book. Trust us, every meal at Tangram with chef Tamzyn Ehlers is a culinary journey. Plus, Durbanville Hills is the official wine partner to the current season of Masterchef SA currently airing on S3 (previously known as SABC 3) and dishes from the series are offered as tasters to diners.
The third tasting is at De Grendel Wine Estate with the owners of this prominent farm, fourth Baronet Sir De Villiers Graaff and his wife Lady Gaedry, at their home. Cellarmaster Charles Hopkins told incredible tales about the wines, starting with Proposal Hill Cap Classique Brut Rosé, which casts the spotlight on an intriguing love story and the legacy of a historic property. It was released in 2020 to mark the 300th anniversary of the farm.
The tasting included the 2017 and 2023 Koetshuis Sauvignon Blancs; the 2023 Op Die Berg Chardonnay and 2021 Op Die Berg Syrah (both named after the high-altitude location near Ceres where the grapes grow); and the 2010 and 2019 vintages of the Rubaiyat, a flagship wine and De Grendel icon. We also enjoyed the Winifred 2023, launched at the cellar’s opening in 2003; the Sir David Graaff 1st Baronet of Cape Town 2015 that honours the life and legacy of Sir David Pieter De Villiers Graaff, founder of De Grendel; and the De Grendel Noble Late Harvest 2015.
De Grendel is renowned on two significant fronts. It produces some of South Africa’s most highly regarded wines, but it is also home to the remarkable legacy of the pioneering Graaff family.
De Grendel's founder, Sir David Graaff, was a central figure and often chief instigator in, among others, the construction of the Table Mountain aerial cableway and many of the reservoirs that supply Cape Town with its water; revolutionising the country’s cold storage; and introducing electricity to the city. It was for his political and business contributions that the British Crown's hereditary Graaff Baronetcy was established and awarded in 1911.
Charles made the first De Grendel wines in 2002, and these have become some of the most famous from the Cape. Fruit hails from the slopes of the Tygerberg, which meet the face of the setting sun and cooling breezes of the cold Antarctic Benguela current just 7km away; and on the Ceres Plateau of the Witzenberg Mountains, where the Graaffs have farmed for many generations.
Another historic farm on our list is Diemersdal Estate. The seventh generation Louws are currently growing up in the historic homestead of which the oldest section dates to 1698 and the palms in the garden planted by great-grandfather Mathys in 1906.
We have a cosy lunch at The Farm Eatery where chef Martin de Kock is the culinary master. The restaurant is housed in the old horse stables and the hospitality of yesterday is palpable.
Sixth generation proprietor, Thys Louw, is the head winemaker at Diemersdal. He is also the vice chairman of the Sauvignon Blanc Association. You can call the farm the home of cooler climate Sauvignon Blanc as Thys has been a pioneer in various styles of this grape cultivar. He admits that even his wife agrees: he is married to Sauvignon Blanc.
Under his watchful eye the farm has made the famous Eight Rows and Winter Ferment Sauvignon Blanc wines. The first was made from only eight rows out of a trusty Sauvignon Blanc block his father, Tienie, gave him permission to experiment with. The latter is made where the grapes are frozen for a couple of months, allowing the farm to release a white wine later in the year.
But it is not only Sauvignon Blanc that shines here. With Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Pinotage, Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Grenache also in the vineyards, their wine offering is diverse.
The team clinched the prestigious General Smuts Trophy for the overall SA Champion Young Wine of 2024, after also being named as the country's Best Cabernet Sauvignon (wooded) at the SA Young Wine Show at the end of August.
Diemersdal has won the General Smuts Trophy twice before, in 2013 with a Sauvignon Blanc and in 2022 with a wooded Shiraz. The General Smuts Trophy has been awarded annually since 1952.
You can taste all their wines in the tasting room, and then have a glass of bottle in the Farm Eatery with your favourite dish.
Visit durbanvillewine.co.za for all the things to do, drink and discover on a visit to this fertile valley with views of Table Mountain.