The Franschhoek Tasting Experience is for those who truly enjoy the finer things in life. Think quality - taste luxury ...Skip to content   With the Vine Hopper wine tour in Stellenbosch, you can experience the surrounding area and it’s wine route by way of a Hop on Hop off service! Join us for a unique wine tour in Stellenbosch! We operate three routes in the Stellenbosch region. Each of these wine tours can take you to up to six different wine estates. Please click on Northern Route or Southern Route  or Eastern Route to get more info on the different wine estates that can be visited on each of the wine tours. Northern Route operates : Monday, Wednesday, Friday Southern Route operates : Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Eastern Route operates:     Monday to Friday NEW!! We now also offer the new 3 in 1 all inclusive full day Tour of a Wine, Brandy and Sparkling Wine Cellar. Please click here for details  (Wine tasting fees are not included in the Vine Hopper ticket price and differ from farm to farm.

Guideline: Wine tasting fees differ from farm to farm. Normal tastings range from R15-R45 per farm and generally include tasting of 6 wines per farm) Restaurants are available at at least two of the farms on the Vine Hopper wine tour routes. More information about Stellenbosch Stellenbosch is one of the most beautiful towns in South Africa and is home to some of the best wines in the world! The town is known for its Cape Dutch Architecture and has the best preserved historic center in South Africa. The Oak lined streets of Stellenbosch are also home to the prestigious University of Stellenbosch. The Stellenbosch Winelands are in close proximity to Cape Town (40 minutes drive by car ) and a real South African attraction. The wine farms in Stellenbosch range from big farms with, high tech cellars, through multi-functional farms and historical manors to small, more intimate wine estates that lend themselves to relax and enjoy nature and the fruits of the vine! Most of these farms lie in the many valleys and hills of the Stellenbosch Wine area and boast with magical views of the winelands.

With the Vine Hopper wine tour in Stellenbosch it is our intention to offer you a good representation of the Stellenbosch Wine Route, while leaving it up to you to decide where you would like to go and how long you would like to stay!Big night at National Wine Challenge for Fairview, Paul Cluver … Paul Cluver of Elgin and Fairview of Paarl the top achievers at National Wine Challenge awards function – each winning six spots among SA Top 100 chosen from the entry submissions. top 10 wine regions in australia Bouchard Finlayson has Pinot Noir experts smiling at UK taste-offwine flavored ice cream where to buy Tête de Cuvée 2013 from Bouchard Finlayson of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in the Walker Bay district outside Hermanus is the only SA gold medallist at 2017 Global Pinot Noir Masters. best south american white wine

Sauvignon champ Diemersdal and Steenberg win gold in Bordeaux 2017 edition of Concours Mondial du Sauvignon (Blanc) attracts over 800 entries, with France dominating the awards presentation at which South African cellars win 10 medals. Eben Sadie honoured by Masters of Wine Institute, London The Masters of Wine and The Drinks Business publication in the UK present Eben Sadie of South Africa’s Swartland district with their 2017 Winemakers’ Winemaker Award. best non dry red wine On the Paardeberg outside Malmesbury in the Swartland, home of The Sadie Family Winesbest wine on a diet Four Cape cellars grab share of the spoils at Chardonnay du Mondered wine glass shades Gold medallists at Chardonnay taste-off in Burgundy feature four from SA: Bon Courage and Weltevrede from Robertson, Survivor from Worcester (Swartland fruit) and DGB. best spanish wine for under 20

Cab Franc Challenge attracts 50 entries, yields 14 gold medals Most of South Africa’s Cabernet Franc producers ‘come to the party’, six winners chosen at the 2017 Challenge and roadshow expanded to include Cab Franc Carnival in Johannesburg. Three Cape cellars excel at international Tourism Challenge Creation Wines of Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, Delheim of Simonsberg-Stellenbosch and La Motte of Franschhoek wave the flag for South Africa at the 2017 Drinks International Wine Tourism .how much should a glass of wine cost South Africa’s Top 20 wineries big and small, spread far and widebest way to get drunk on wine Top 20 SA cellars on Cape Peninsula (4) and Cederberg (1), in Elgin (1), Franschhoek (3), Hemel-en-Aarde (1), Paarl (1), Somerset West (1), Stellenbosch (7) and Tulbagh (1) – 2017 Classification.

Top 100 SA Wines… 2017 Hall of Fame… Most fancied most often South Africa’s most highly rated wines overall for the period 2007 to 2016, those special bottlings that achieve good to great reviews vintage after vintage, year after year. Scrolls of honour here. SA Wine & Cellar Classifications showcase top track records Focusing on the most successful outfits in the winelands of South Africa over the past 10 years: 2017 SA Wine Classification , 2017 SA Cellar Classificaion here, highlights here. The Cape’s 20 most successful wines on the world stage in 2016 The number of South Africa’s highly-rated, world-class wines runs into the hundreds, but some are more highly praised more often by the top tasting panels on the planet: Top 20 in 2016. Best Value SA Wine Guide 2016 – highly rated, all under R100 pb South Africa’s best-value wines of the year, those that have earned very good reviews from one or more of the top panels locally or internationally AND which sell/sold for less than R100. 

So many to choose from for the title of SA Wine Champ 2016 Winemaker of the Year, Winery of the Year, Most Successful Producer of the Year… Delaire Graff, Nederburg, Mullineux and Rijk’s among the title holders, but who’s tops overall?  Five of South Africa’s Top 10 restaurants are in the Cape winelands, among the vines, with 2016 Eat Out laureates including Camphors, La Colombe, Maison, Overture and Waterkloof. Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Awards go to farms and cellars in nine of the very best wine-producing areas around the world – including six of South Africa’s top outfits. With the judges all wine Masters of one sort or another, Cape cellars fared well at the 2016 Drinks Business Chardonnay taste-off in the UK: one Master award, seven Golds. Stellenrust – winner of Platter’s White Wine of the Year award Platter’s guide features over 8000 wines including 94 ‘classics’ Nederburg of Paarl, Riebeek Kasteel’s Mullineux, Radford Dale and Stellenrust of Stellenbosch scoop top awards in 2017 edition of Platter’s SA Wine Guide.

5 Star laureates here. Sauvignon champs range from Merwida at R51 to Nitida at R285 South Africa’s Sauvignon Blanc producers enter 169 wines in annual Top 10 competition, with top performers based predominantly in Durbanville, Elgin, Stellenbosch. Veritas Double Gold × 2 for Flagstone, KWV, Rustenberg, Spier Distell collects more medals than anybody else at Veritas 2016, four cellars win a couple of double golds each, and Boschendal vies with Goedverwacht for ‘best value’ kudos. Six Nations trophies for SA Cab, Shiraz, Pinotage, White Blend South Africa’s Cederberg Private Cellar, Rijk’s of Tulbagh, Rustenberg and Stark-Condé of Stellenbosch triumph (and surprise) at Six Nations Challenge in Australia. Young Kanonkop fetches up to R2233 a bottle at CWG Auction 2016 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction provides inkling of who’s who at cutting edge of Wine SA and new records across the board. Average prices, highest prices and more here. Elim-Cederberg collaboration earns top score for Weather Girl

With 1829 entries, Michelangelo sets new record as biggest wine competition in South Africa. Top producers collect 11 trophies, 15 platinum awards and hundreds of golds. The Berrio vineyards outside Elim, Cape Agulhas, home of an exceptional white blend Nederburg and DeMorgenzon show the French a thing or two Trophies for Best Cabernet Sauvignon and Best Chenin at International Wine & Spirit Competition go to South African cellars, with Neethlingshof taking the title in the Pinotage class. 40-year-old Stellenbosch Shiraz auctioned for R7333 a bottle De Toren, Kanonkop, Vergelegen and La Motte… De Wetshof, DeMorgenzon and Ken Forrester… Zonnebloem, Monis, Libertas and Jaubert… 2016 Nederburg Auction highlights here. 5 Star rating followed by yet another trophy for Anura bubbly 2016 Cap Classique Challenge winners feature Paarl’s Anura Vineyards, Colmant of Franschhoek and the House of JC Le Roux, Stellenbosch – a total of 11 gold medallists.

Iona, Strandveld and Tokara lead charge in battle of the blends Latest White Hot Wine Awards point to wonderful success stories despite the reluctance of judges to give a ‘perfect’ score. 35 entries, not a single dud in sight, and another win for Elgin.  Pinotage Association Top 10 features Kanonkop, Rijk’s, plus… L’Avenir Single Block 2014 is arguably the most successful Pinotage on the show circuit in 2016. And few wines can match the value offering of Knorhoek’s second label at R40pb. With Chenin Blanc the most widely planted wine grape variety in South Africa, the best in the industry’s annual Top 10 contest are bound to be complex and interesting. Nederburg’s Muscadel impresses wine aficionados worldwide After scooping trophies at the International Wine Challenge in London and the SA Trophy Wine Show, Eminence chosen among Top 10 gold medallists at Muscats du Monde, France. Stellenbosch cellars dominate the top ratings at Winemag.co.za’s 2016 review of South Africa’s Bordeaux-style red blends, yet the highest score is bestowed on Gouverneurs Reserve.

DeMorgenzon declared best Chardonnay at Decanter Awards South African cellars excel at 2016 Decanter World Wine Awards in London: 1 Best in Class, 6 Platinum Awards, 29 gold medals, 212 silvers, 273 bronze medals. All the top SA laureates here. Production up, exports down, domestic sales up, imports up, fewer farmers, more wineries, more estates, fewer vines… SA now eighth-biggest wine-producing nation. Delaire Graff and Tokara take top awards at Trophy Wine Show Delaire Graff wins trophies for top red and top producer overall. Tokara blend judged top white wine overall. Trophy for best value gold medallist goes to Secret Cellar. Consistency and good value evident in 2016 Shiraz Challenge Cederberg, Eagles’ Nest, Fairview and Saronsberg among the Top 12 in SA Shiraz Producers Association’s annual taste-off. Windmeul and Laborie ‘best value’ in ‘dream dozen’. Saronsberg of Tulbagh – one of the top Shiraz cellars in South Africa Staged in the northern Rhône Valley, France, the 2016 Syrah du Monde sees eleven South African wines from Shiraz collect silver, five strike gold and two rank among the best wines reviewed.

SA wineries earn 21 gold medals and 12 trophies at the International Wine Challenge in London, with kudos for the top SA red and white on show going to Tulbagh and Stellenbosch cellars. Cape Blend and Chardonnays shine brightest for SA at Mondial Clos Malverne, Kleine Zalze and Lourensford achieve ‘grand gold’ medals at the international 2016 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, with 28 other South African wines earning gold. Graham Beck sells off brands aplenty to focus on bubbly Top South African producer Graham Beck disposes of red and white still wines to concentrate on sparklers made according to the traditional method. • Top SA Wine Ratings: 2017, 2016 • Top Wine SA Hall of Fame 2017 • Directory: Top SA Wine Cellars • Top SA Wine Events Calendar • Bespoke SA Wine Tours, Tastings • Where to Eat in Top Wine SA • Bonus Attractions in Top Wine SA • Latest SA Wine Industry Stats • A Short History of Wine SA