The oldest estates

Tastings are held in the old horse stables, and the restored Schoongezicht Garden is open to the public every day. The range includes John X Merriman, a Bordeaux-style blend named after a Cape statesman who once owned the land, and Peter Barlow, a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The Barlow family has owned the estate at the foot of the Simonsberg since the nineteen-forties.

Tastings come with the option of a chocolate pairing, and the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch. Pinot Noir, a Bordeaux-style blend called Ansela van de Caab and a Cape Vintage port-style wine are the ones to know. The Melck family owns the farm, on land near the Simonsberg first granted in the seventeenth century.

Tastings run daily at the Cellar Door, with chocolate, cheese and charcuterie pairings, and at the Manor House with seasonal platters; booking is advised, and walk-ins are taken when there's availability. The Deli serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and there's also Retreat Restaurant, Arum and pre-booked picnics on the lawns. The estate describes itself as a regenerative farm, with walking and mountain bike trails, horse rides and cottages to stay in.

Tastings and cellar tours run here, and the estate has its own hotel and restaurants. Most of the vineyard is planted to red varieties, and the flagship Bell Tower is a Bordeaux-style blend named after the bell tower on the property. The farm dates back more than three centuries, and its old manor house now serves as the cellar.

Tastings run in the Tasting Room and Deli, with options that include a wine and chocolate truffle pairing, and a complimentary cellar tour goes out daily. Lanzerac describes itself as the birthplace of the first commercially bottled Pinotage, and its Cape Dutch Manor House and werf are a Provincial Heritage Site. The estate in the Jonkershoek Valley is also a hotel with a spa and several places to eat.

Tastings run daily here in the Bottelary Hills, with lunch from Wednesday to Sunday and a Vintner's Platter on Mondays and Tuesdays. Shiraz has been bottled here every vintage for more than half a century, and The Stork Shiraz is named after the wartime nickname of the late Ken Mackenzie, whose family still owns the farm.

Tastings run every day, with flights from the Estate Range and the Short Story Collection and pairings with chocolate, cheese or small plates. There's a pairing for children too, cellar tours can be booked ahead, and the old manor house holds The Restaurant. The estate is a WWF Conservation Champion, and visitors can drive or walk its avenue of stone pines.

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.

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.

The full range is open to taste here, Rubicon included, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. A seated tasting by reservation adds an older vintage of Rubicon, and the estate is closed on Sundays. The Myburgh family has owned the farm since the mid-eighteenth century, and Hannes Myburgh runs it today.

Every tasting here comes with a food pairing, whether in the barrel room, the vinoteque or, weather permitting, out in the vineyard. The estate sits on the slopes of the Helderberg around a Cape Dutch homestead and historic cellar, with a restaurant open daily and several houses and cottages to stay in. Children can make and bake their own pizzas while the adults taste.

Shiraz is the focus, with the Shiraz Select as flagship, and tastings draw on the Private Collection range alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage and whites. The farm sits on Polkadraai Road, on land first granted in the late seventeenth century, and the Bührer family have owned it since moving from Switzerland in the late eighties.

Only red wine is made here, mainly Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, on the lower slopes of the Helderberg. Staff guide the tastings and offer informal tours of the underground cellar, and the winemaker's lunch of steak or salmon with a glass of wine runs daily on a first come, first served basis. The Engelbrecht family has owned the estate since the late seventies, and its title deed dates from the seventeenth century.

Tastings are held in the original cellar, and the wines include a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon blend. On the food side there's the Avant-Garde restaurant, which draws on South African and Russian recipes, a Russian tea garden, the Babushka deli and Pivnushka, a family-friendly spot for flame-grilled food and craft beer. Dr Mark Voloshin bought the Bottelary Hills estate in the mid-nineties, and it's run as a family business.

Tastings run at the Wine Tasting Centre, and there are two places to eat, the Stables bistro and Camphors restaurant. The estate has seventeen gardens, and the camphor trees by the homestead go back to Willem Adriaan van der Stel, the Cape governor granted the farm more than three centuries ago. Cabernet Sauvignon leads the GVB Red, a blend with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.