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Banghoek wine farms

Over the Helshoogte Pass from town, on the road to Franschhoek: the Banghoek Valley, often spelt Banhoek.

Read the story: About Banghoek

At a glance

Closest to Cape Town
Zorgvliet, about 56 min by car
Highest rated
Oldenburg Vineyards (4.1)
Open on Sundays
4 of 6
Serve lunch
3 of 6
Take walk-ins
1 of 6
Have somewhere to stay
3 of 6

6 wineries

New wave

Oldenburg Vineyards

Tastings run here in the Banhoek Valley, just off the Helshoogte Road out of Stellenbosch towards Franschhoek. The vineyards are planted to French varieties, and the flagship is Rhodium, a red blend. Adrian Vanderspuy set the winery up in its present form in the early two-thousands.

Mon – Sat
Wines
4.1
Visit
4.8

New wave

Bartinney

Tastings are held at the Tasting Shed in the Banghoek Valley, open into the evening on Fridays, and self-catering vineyard cottages on the estate are let to guests. The flagships are Skyfall, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and Hourglass, a Chardonnay, and the farm has been in the Jordaan family since the early nineteen-fifties.

Daily
Wines
4.1
Visit
4.6

New wave

Rainbow's End

Walk in for a tasting from Monday to Saturday, with premium wines poured on request and cheese and charcuterie platters on offer. The Malan family farm high slopes against the Jonkershoek mountains above the Banghoek basin, and the range includes Cabernet Franc and the Family Reserve, a Bordeaux-style blend.

Mon – Sat
Wines
3.9
Visit
4.8

Plan

A day in Banghoek

Three estates close together, with lunch in the middle. All three list every day as opening days.

  1. MorningLe PommierKnown for Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc.
  2. LunchZorgvlietKnown for Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, serves lunch, about 0.8 km from the last stop.
  3. AfternoonAlluviaKnown for Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, about 0.9 km from the last stop.
Open this day

From there you can pick a date, see who is open, reorder stops, add more and open the route in Google Maps.

Old estate

Zorgvliet

Tastings are held in the restored manor house, where the Helshoogte Pass begins its climb out of the Banghoek Valley towards Franschhoek. The estate also has restaurants and a country lodge. The wines are made from Bordeaux varieties, with single-vineyard bottlings, sparkling wine and the Simone and Richelle blends.

DailyLunchStay
Wines
3.8
Visit
4.4

New wave

Le Pommier

Tastings run every day on the Helshoogte Pass, and the range takes in a Malbec, a Cabernet Franc and a Chardonnay alongside a rosé and a dessert wine. The restaurant serves Banhoek country cuisine with tables under the trees and a play area for younger children, and there are suites and country rooms for anyone staying over. The name recalls the farm's past as an apple orchard.

DailyLunchStay
Wines
3.8
Visit
4.2

Cabernet Franc

Alluvia

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc are poured in the tasting lounge, with an MCC Rosé among the premium options and a food and wine pairing on offer. The Banhoek Valley estate also has a bistro-style restaurant, a spa and rooms to stay in, and guests can swim in the pool, fish the dam or ride the bike paths.

DailyLunchStay
Wines
3.7
Visit
4.4

The story

About Banghoek

Banghoek means 'the scary corner', after the lions, leopards and elephants early travellers met coming over the pass.

Banghoek is a small, official Wine of Origin ward in the mountain-ringed valley over the Helshoogte Pass from Stellenbosch, on the road to Franschhoek. Vineyards climb to around 540 metres, and the height keeps things cool enough for Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay.

Banghoek or Banhoek

The name comes from De Bange Hoek, roughly 'the scary corner', after the lions, leopards and elephants early travellers met coming over the pass. You will see it spelt both ways. Banghoek is the official ward name. Banhoek is the spelling many estates, and the Stellenbosch Wine Routes, use.

Banghoek became a ward in 2005, after Jacques Malan of Rainbow's End did the work to register it, which makes it one of the younger wards in Stellenbosch. A label reading Wine of Origin Banghoek means all the grapes came from this valley. Some producers prefer the wider Stellenbosch name, which is just as legitimate.

About Banghoek

Height and granite

The valley is a basin encircled by mountains, with the Simonsberg on one side and the Jonkershoek peaks on the other. At Rainbow's End the vineyards rise to 540 metres. Oldenburg farms several sites at around 400 metres, with whites on alluvial soils lower down and reds higher up on weathered granite.

Elevation does the work here. Cooler temperatures mean longer, steadier ripening, which suits Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the valley's main grapes. Cabernet Franc also turns up on four of the six estates on our list. Much of the valley also falls within a conservancy.

About Banghoek

The estates on our list

Rainbow's End made its first Cabernet Franc in 2005 and doesn't ask you to book: tastings run Monday to Saturday. Oldenburg, revived by Adrian Vanderspuy from 2003, makes Chenin Blanc and Syrah alongside its Cabernet. Bartinney, a farm since 1912 and in the Jordaan family since 1953, sticks to Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Zorgvliet sits about seven kilometres from town, where the pass starts to climb. Le Pommier, at the foot of the Simonsberg, lists Malbec first among its grapes.

About Banghoek

Questions people ask

Is Banghoek an official wine ward?
Yes. Banghoek is one of the eight Wine of Origin wards in the Stellenbosch district, registered in 2005. A wine labelled Banghoek must be made only from grapes grown in the ward.
Is it Banghoek or Banhoek?
Both refer to the same valley. Banghoek is the spelling used for the official wine ward, while Banhoek is common in estate addresses and on wine route maps.
Where is the Banghoek valley?
It lies just east of Stellenbosch town, over the Helshoogte Pass on the road towards Franschhoek. Zorgvliet, at the start of the climb, is about seven kilometres from town.
What grapes grow well in Banghoek?
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the valley's main grapes, helped by vineyards at 400 to 540 metres that ripen slowly. Cabernet Franc, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc are also common.

Updated October 2026.

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