Old-vine estates

Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch, Paarl and the Swartland sits alongside a Cabernet Franc, all made with a handful of growers, one of whose vineyards was planted when the land was still turned by horse and plough. Tastings are by appointment at Leef op Hoop in the Jonkershoek Valley, on the stoep or in the cellar, with deliberately few tables. Viticulturist Etienne Terblanche and winemaker Stephanie Wiid run the label, which takes its names from weeds found among the vines.

Guided tastings run from Monday to Saturday on the Bottelary Road, or you can settle in with a few bottles and a cheese platter. Pinotage appears in several of the ranges, and one Chenin Blanc comes from bush vines planted by the great-grandfather of Danie Steytler Jnr, who now runs the farm with Carin as the fourth generation of the family.

Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are the focus here, from the Old Vine Chenin Blanc to the Eden single-vineyard wines. Tastings take place in a private tasting room on Eden Farm in the Polkadraai Hills and cover the Raats Family, Bruwer Vintners and MR de Compostella ranges. Booking is essential because the tastings are kept small, and Bruwer Raats's sons now work in the family business.

Tastings here include a single-wine pour of the Boustred Chenin Blanc and a masterclass hosted by brothers Chris and Rob Boustred, with flatbreads made to go with the wines. VUUR cooks every dish over open flames in the former horse stables, and guests can stay on the estate. Murray and Juliet Boustred bought the farm on the Simonsberg foothills to make wine, and their sons now work alongside Murray.

Tastings run Monday to Saturday, cellar tours are by appointment, and Rykaart's, a family-run restaurant, serves a set three-course meal built around produce from the farm. The estate on the Helderberg is farmed organically and biodynamically, and its Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay come from old vines and a block planted by John and Erica Platter.

P.K. Morkel planted Pinotage on a commercial scale here in the fifties, and the Bottelary Hills estate still makes it, alongside old-vine Cinsault, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. The restaurant is set up for families, with a children's menu and a play area on the lawn, and children get their own tasting of juices and treats.

Tastings run from Monday to Saturday, with a classic flight of whites and reds or a premium flight of reds. Piet Steenkamp is the fourth generation of his family to farm and make wine here in the Bottelary area. At the top of the range, the Steenkamp label includes a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend and an old-vine Chenin Blanc, the Ou Bosstok Steen.

The tasting room on Stellenbosch Kloof Road is open every day, and booking ahead is advised. The flagship is a Reserve Chenin Blanc, with a DMZ Chenin Blanc alongside it, and Baroque music is played to both the vines and the wines. The name means the morning sun, since the farm is the first part of the Stellenboschkloof valley to catch it.

Tastings here range from a flight of estate whites to a premium line-up with Cap Classique and Port, and a signature tasting runs in the historic cellar. Veldt Restaurant cooks over open flames, and the estate, on the slopes of the Simonsberg, keeps a block of old-vine Chenin Blanc. Weddings, seasonal dinners and harvest celebrations are held here too.

There's a tasting room, the Terroir restaurant and a lodge on the property, which sits beside the De Zalze golf course. The Chenin Blanc runs from a bush vine bottling to a Family Reserve made from unirrigated vines more than forty years old. The Basson family bought the farm in the nineties and still owns the vineyards, while AdVini now holds a majority of the wine business.

Chenin Blanc is the focus, tasted in the Wine Lounge on the slopes of the Helderberg, with food pairings on offer. Ken and Teresa Forrester bought the farm at auction in the early nineties along with two old Chenin vineyards, and the FMC, made with Martin Meinert, is the flagship.

Wine tastings and a guesthouse share the estate, which sits between Stellenbosch and Somerset West with views of the Helderberg. The wines come in three ranges, Collection, Reserve and Platinum, and the Platinum line includes an Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc, a Pinotage and Latitude, a Cape blend. Baarsma's Holding, a wine company from the Netherlands, owns the estate.