Quirky and Curious Cape Wine Estates

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, NEW EXPERIENCES!

BOOST THE 2025 BUCKET LIST WITH THESE QUIRKY AND CURIOUS CAPE WINE TASTING ADVENTURES.

Curiosity is the secret sauce when it comes to expanding your wine tasting repertoire.

Is it time to think outside the old (wine) box?

We know life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage (according to 1930s writer Anais Nin). If that’s not an irrefutable argument for pushing the boundaries of your wine tasting journey…

South Africa’s world-famous Cape Wine region boasts over 560 diverse wine estates and 4400 primary producers of grapes, each vying to outdo the next with the unique and bespoke wine and food experiences they offer.

We thought of ditching the dual carriageway – so to speak, opt for the road less travelled and explore a few of the estates with quirkier offerings that those in the mainstream.

Are you ready for a deep dive, tasting your wines six feet under(ground)?

Or a swirl-around of Chenin Blanc in a romantic, candlelit cave (no bats, we promise)?

Does being high (above the waves of the Atlantic Ocean that is) while savouring your Cinsault float your boat?

How about comparing the notes of your deep purple Cabernet Sauvignon with Prince’s iconic Purple Rain?

But you could of course simply sit back, enjoy the sunrise over the vineyards and relish your Pinotage to the backdrop of baroque music played at full blast (not for your benefit, mind, but exclusively for the mental stimulation and well-being of the precious vines).

So, how about joining us on a curious little off-beat meander through the Cape Winelands?

(PS, You may want to pour yourself a little glass of liquid sunshine upon proceeding.)

1. Disappear into your own Bespoke Cave at KLEIN ROOSBOOM

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One of the best kept secrets of the Cape Wine Route is Klein Roosboom, a boutique winery tucked away in the green Durbanville Hills.

Your biggest challenge will be deciding on your unique tasting nook, but fear not, you can’t go wrong with any.

Each cave has a quaint theme that’ll satisfy just about

every personality. From old-school glamour to Victorian prudence and artsy bohemian décor, this is a space to enjoy on an intimate night out or a birthday bash with a group of friends.

2. Share Baroque Music with the Vines

at DE MORGENZON

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Should you arrive at De Morgenzon (‘the morning sun’) at the crack of dawn, you’ll glimpse the spectacle of sunrays gently playing over the sprawling vineyards.

You’ll also hear the faraway sound of music as you approach. You may recognize Tomaso Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor. Or Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Silvius Leopold Weiss.

These classical tunes are played, not to necessarily welcome the visitor (we apologise), but to appeal to the vines and their well-being.

The 91 hectare estate has two blocks of shiraz wines, but only one block has 22 speakers, situated 100m apart, blasting out classical music. The other block is music-less – to observe the difference and study the effect of the music on the vines.

Around 2500 baroque music pieces are played in a loop, with music not being repeated for over a week.

Do the vines listen and respond to music, you may ask. The owners – and botanical experts – believe so. The vines most certainly respond in a positive way to the vibrations.

And we’re sure your response to the fruits of the music-treated grapes – as you sit on De Morgenzon’s verandah with the morning sunrays tickling your back, sipping a classical Syrah, Chenin or Chardonnay – would be positive too.

Listen to the baroque music at De Morgenzon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEMXISOCIaQ

The farm dog listening to baroque!

The vines flourish amidst the sound of music.

The Manor house at De Morgenzon

Safari, anyone?

3. Escape to your own Tasting Island Surrounded by Lakeside Clouds at STARK CONDE

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More perfect a setting is hard to imagine. No wonder they called their culinary icon of a restaurant The Postcard Café.

Navigate the jetty to the tasting room – which blissfully reflects the mood of the day on the water – where delicious vine-temptations await.

This jewel of a wine farm outside Stellenbosch belongs to a passionate South African/ Cuban/Japanese family who make extraordinary Cabernet.

The family keeps the process as natural and simplistic as possible, fermenting with natural yeasts in open-top tanks, with manual punch-downs. The red wines are aged for up to 22 months in French oak barrels. These hand-crafted reds are limited (just over 800 cases), which makes the tasting and acquiring of these special vintages even more precious.

But the wines are just one part of the spectacular experience at Stark Conde. The tasting room is the thing! It’s quaintly situated in the middle of a lake, surrounded by purple mountain peaks, in a sea of vineyards.

Picture perfect Stak Conde

The valleys and mountains around Stark Conde

Idyllic tastings

Heading to the tasting room at Stark Conde

4. Board the Spaceship at BOSJES

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Upon arrival at Bosjes Farm you’d be forgiven to wonder whether a space-ship has landed in the middle of a lake, and whether you should be dressed like a 60s Barbarella to fit in.

Bosjes Farm lies nestled snugly between the Slanghoek and Waaihoek Mountains in the spectacular Worcester/Ceres region of the Western Cape.

Its gardens are a delight, its various restaurants are top notch, but what makes it unmistakeable is the remarkable piece of curvy space-age architecture that mimics the mountains around it.

It’s a favourite wedding venue, with couples from across the globe celebrating their special day in the chapel and surrounding gardens, mingling with the wildlife and making unbeatable wedding day memories.

It’s hardly surprising that Bosjes Farm is so popular with wedding couples: it’s virtually impossible to take an unflattering picture here.

(As for us, we’ve bought our culinary delights and wines from one of the kitchen restaurants on the farm, and will now head to an exotic water features to dip our feet into the water while savouring the hand-crafted delights before boarding the space-ship.)

A famourite wedding venue!

Proteas are grown on the estate.

Space-age tasting at Bosjes

5. Go Underground at WELTEVREDE ESTATE

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Craving total escapism from the noisy, hurried world? Disappear below ground for a few blissful hours at Weltevrede, an estate situated in the spectacular Bonnievale Valley.

They deliver an intimate, candle-lit wine tasting experience deep below the earth’s surface in a 100+ year-old cellar.

Taste their vintage and non-vintage MCCs (Méthode Cap Classique, the South African version of Champagne), dessert wines and muscadels while being entertained by the passionate hosts and storytellers.

‘Weltevrede’ means “well-satisfied’ or “to be content” – and that’s a guaranteed outcome at the end of your evening. You’ll return to the earth’s surface well-watered, refreshed and inspired.

Cave-tastings at Weltevrede Wine Estate

The formal gardens at Weltevrede

6. Tickle your Taste Buds Suspended High Above the Waves at FRYER’S COVE.

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Clinging to the Atlantic Ocean on the rugged Cape West Coast at Doringbaai, sits the charming coastal wine estate of Fryers Cove.

Although best known for their annual Abalone (shellfish) Festival (featuring all kinds of sea delights including crayfish) in November, this wine estate celebrates their fabulous wines all year round, with their jetty hosting wine lovers from all over the country and beyond.

Accolades aplenty for this coastal estate: a John Platter awards went to their Bamboes Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Bamboes Bay Merlot , Bamboes Bay Pinot Noir, Fryer’s Cove Pinot Noir and Bay to Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

Their slogan reads, ‘Forged by the earth, tempered by the sea’, and indeed one can taste the salty ocean in every drop of wine.

If you love the idea of consuming your Sauvignon Blanc perched high above the ocean, with ocean spray in both your hair and taste buds, head to Fryers Cove.

The charming coastal Fryers Cove

Tasting wine high above the Atlantic Ocean

Taste the ocean in every drop!

Bokkoms (dried fish) are a speciality of the region.

7. Pretend you’re in Bella Toscana at

WATERFORD ESTATE

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We’ll forgive you for thinking you’re in the Tuscan Hills upon arriving at the rustic terracotta buildings at Waterford Estate outside Stellenbosch.

But what Tuscany most certainly cannot not offer is a combination of wine tasting and an African safari. Waterford’s three hour-long wine-safari in one of their custom-built safari vehicles will acquaint you with the fauna and flora of the region – while sipping wine of course.

The Porcupine Trail Wine Walk lets you do the same on foot – with a guide, and wine and snacks on tap.

When back at the ranch, you’ll top off the day’s activities with a chocolate and wine pairing.

Should you be there during the summer months, enjoy their open-air concerts and candlelit picnicking.

Tuscany in South Africa

8. Taste Wine with the Waddling Winemakers at VERGENOEGD LOW

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Watch the famous duck parade here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efo9_x_uQtQ

The famous Indian Runner Ducks are one of the key attractions to this stately wine farm. These feathered creatures are hard-working little farmers – they’re busy all day long eating snails and other insects so the farm doesn’t need to use harmful pesticides.

You may want to catch them as they’re enthusiastically lining up for the day’s duties early in the morning. In fact, many visitors aim to be at the gates when they open to see this feathered spectacle unfold.

You may of course choose to watch it all from the vantage point of the Geuwels Restaurant or Clara’s Barn – while sipping the fruits of the labour of these diligent, indigenous birds.

Waddling winemakers

The Cape Dutch manor house at Vergenoegd-Low

The lodges offer spectacular views.

A famous wedding venue.

9. Do a Music Pairing at BLACK ELEPHANT VINTNERS

This Franschhoek-based winemaker trio claim ‘every Friday is Black Friday’ at theirs.

Rock’n’roll-biker vibes rule the roost here. Their wines are seriously, seriously badass too. with labels like ‘The Fox and the Flamingo”, Two Dogs, A Flamingo and a Horse” and “Three Men in a Tub”, you know you’re not in for an everyday wine-tasting experience.

But why take our word for it, watch the short clip here: Click the Link Here

Music and Wine pairings with a difference – at Black Elephant Vintners

We’ll leave you with the last line from these epic winemakers: ‘You will need more than one bottle.”

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