- Expertise spanning over 170 years
- Closely forged relationships with our producers
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Stellenbosch Fine wine
Stellenbosch is the heartland of South African wine, in many ways the Cape’s answer to Napa Valley. Set within easy striking distance of Cape Town, it is a hugely attractive area studded with some of the country’s top wineries, most of whom focus largely on red wines, with Bordeaux blends particularly prevalent.
Cabernet Sauvignon is Stellenbosch’s flagship grape, and the variety is widely planted here, thriving in the Mediterranean climate alongside other red varieties – Syrah, Cabernet Franc and the Cape’s signature variety Pinotage are all capable of yielding fine wines. That, and greater winemaking skill and sensitivity since the turn of the millennium has given rise to some truly world-class wines, with a generation of courageous, meticulous winemakers taking the region – and the country’s – wines to the next level, and establishing Stellenbosch as the driving force of South Africa’s hugely exciting winemaking scene.
Stellenbosch vintages
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Stellenbosch wine FAQs
Does Stellenbosch produce any decent white wines?
Absolutely. While Stellenbosch is best known for its reds, notably those based around Cabernet Sauvignon, its status at the heart of the South African wine scene is only bolstered by the fact that it also excels with several other varieties – not least Chenin Blanc. The Mediterranean climate here, punctuated by warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters, provides the perfect balance for Chenin to thrive and yield a style boasting texture and richness along with lift and nuance. Sauvignon Blanc is also popular, via a style that tends to sit somewhere between New Zealand’s zappy, zesty character and the more savoury, vegetal notes of the Loire Valley.
What is Pinotage and why is it so important in Stellenbosch?
Pinotage is something of a South African signature – the Cape’s very own grape variety, yielding a red wine that is rarely, if ever, found elsewhere. The variety materialised as a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, and is highly characteristic, delivering bold, smoky, earthy flavours that, if vinified carelessly, can be rather rustic. Not in the hands of the variety’s greatest champion, however – Stellenbosch’s acclaimed Kanonkop estate, whose refined renderings, highlighting the elegant Pinot Noir element, have led others to follow suit and garnered a growing following for this highly individual wine.