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 South
Africa's vineyards are to be found mainly in the Western
Cape, near or at the coast. Wine is also produced in
the drier, northern regions of the lower Orange River
around Upington, in the Little Karoo along Route 62
from Montagu to Oudtshoorn, and in the Olifants River
Valley, along the Atlantic seaboard north of Cape Town.
Our choices of the top wine regions to visit are:
Constantia
The historic source of the Cape wine industry - and
the legendary Constantia dessert wine - is home to such
famous estates as Groot- and Klein Constantia and Buitenverwachting.
 Durbanville
Situated on hill slopes close to Cape Town city centre,
this old wine-growing region offers excellent sauvignon
blanc, shiraz and merlot wines. Durbanville Hills is
the premier brand.
Paarl
Home to the KWV and the venue of the Nederburg Wine
Auction, this pretty district a 30 minute drive from
Cape Town has a variety of cellars - from boutiques
to co-ops - offering fine chenin blanc, pinotage, shiraz
and cabernet sauvignon wines. Villiera, Backsberg, Glen
Carlou and Boland Kelders are well-known brands.
Stellenbosch
Beautiful Stellenbosch, the best-preserved town in
South Africa, has more than 100 wine estates, producing
such internationally known wines as Rustenberg, Warwick,
Meerlust, Thelema, Spier, Kanonkop, Rust en Vrede and
many others. Be sure to pick up a free copy of the American
Express Stellenbosch Wine Route Guide at the local tourism
bureau.
 Franschhoek
Situated in a picturesque valley not far from Paarl,
this old Huguenot village lies at the centre of a boutique
wine region offering a range of good wines and several
excellent restaurants. Among the best known cellars
are L'Ormarins, La Motte, Plaisir de Merle, Cabriere
and Blaauwklippen.
Worcester/Breede Valley
The Worcester district produces around one-quarter
of the country's total wine output. It's also an important
brandy-producing area and home of the KWV Brandy Cellar,
the largest of its kind in the world. The district encompasses
the beautiful Breede River Valley, and is surrounded
by towering mountains on three sides. There are good
buys to be found at the 19 co-ops in the area.
Robertson
A fertile and sunny region on the eastern fringes of
the Breede River Valley, known for its chardonnay and
shiraz wines, and for a wide variety of dessert wines.
Among the better known labels are De Wetshof, Graham
Beck and Zandvliet.
 Swartland
A wheat-growing area north of Cape Town that is now
producing some fine wines. The Darling region, with
its own wine route, is known for the excellent quality
of its Sauvignon Blanc wine.
Overberg
This newish viticulture area includes vineyards at
Bot River, Elgin and Walker Bay,.near Hermanus. The
region benefits from the cooling ocean breeze and produces
some of the country's finest chardonnay, sauvignon blanc
and Pinot Noir wines. Hamilton Russell and Bouchard-Finlayson
are internationally-known brand names
Links to Useful Sites
www.wineroutes.co.za
www.istellenbosch.co.za
www.franschhoek.co.za
www.paarlonline.com
www.breederivervalley.com
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