Wine via Tram and Safari

Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are both enormously enjoyable to visit (especially for wine lovers like us) but each has a uniqueness that is hard to quantify. We spent four days in each, both times staying in guest houses out of the towns. Obviously what they have in common are vineyards and glorious sunshine, but both towns have quite a different feel.

Stony Brook Vineyards in Franschhoek: we stayed in a rustic cottage here

Wine tram in Franschhoek 

Huguenot monument in Franschhoek

At Le Bri we tasted wine paired with biltong

Starting off the day with morning sparkling wine tasting at Le Lude

In Franschhoek we used the Wine Tram to visit vineyards and this was a lot of fun and meant we could both sip and slurp wine without the worry of having to drive afterwards. The tram (which is sometimes a bus made to look like a tram!) follows a variety of routes to the vineyards and we hopped on and hop off at hourly intervals and stopped for longer to enjoy superb lunches with gorgeous views. The most memorable thing for us is that the background music played on the tram as it meandered around Franschhoek is the music we listened to growing up in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. This transported us to another era and made for a very happy experience….ok, maybe the wine helped a bit! Famous for its cuisine, Franschhoek did not disappoint…superlative meals at Foliage and Roca (Dieu Donne vineyard) to name just two. The Huguenot monument and museum in Franschhoek was well worth a visit, describing the hardship endured and bravery required of settlers in the 1600s coming here from Europe.

Beautiful Franschhoek

The short drive from Franschhoek to Stellenbosch is very scenic, through mountains with vineyards dotted around on the slopes everywhere you look. About a ten minute drive outside Stellenbosch we stayed at a delightful B&B run by an English couple…stunning terraced gardens with magnificent views over the neighbouring wine estates. We could quite happily have chilled out beside their pool for four days but there was the serious business of wine tasting to get on with. We spent a very happy few hours bouncing around in a safari vehicle, touring the vineyards at Waterford Wine Estate, stopping for tasting sessions while surrounded by vines. We had a great lunch and tasting session at Delheim Wine Estate, having fun doing blind tastings (only between the two of us…no public humiliation). We liked the atmosphere in historic Stellenbosch which happily accommodates tourism and students and were wowed by the spectacular Botanical Gardens.

Stellenbosch vineyard views from Mana B&B

A magical setting for breakfast at Mana B&B

At Stellebosch Botanical Gardens

Wine safari

Sampling grapes at Waterford Wine Estate

Our guide setting up wine tasting in the vineyards at Waterford Wine Estate

Serious wine tasting at Delheim Wine Estate...blind tasting and making notes!

After twelve days in the Cape Winelands we headed out east of this region on a winding road that climbs a mountain behind Franschhoek. Stopping at the top there’s a breath-taking view of the valley and vineyards below. We feel sure we’ll be back.

Franschhoek valley