Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch
Located a short drive east of Cape town, the quiet university town of Stellenbosch is home to the best-known vineyard region in South Africa. Vines were first planted after the arrival of the French Huguenots in the 1680s, and the region makes up 20 percent of South Africa's vineyard plantings. Separated from Paarl to the north by the Simonsberg Mountain, and from Walker Bay to the east by the Hottentot Hollands mountain range, the rolling vineyards of Stellenbosch are home to a hot, dry climate, tempered by cool Atlantic breezes. Soils are extremely diverse, with light sandy soils on the coast giving way to heavier granite soils on the lower slopes of the mountains, with sheltered valleys and exposed hillsides creating diverse growing conditions. The region is home to a broad variety of grapes, but Cabernet Sauvignon is the most notable. Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grow well closer to the sea, while Syrah and Pinotage, a Cinsault-Pinot Noir cross first cultivated in the region in the 1920s, also flourish.
