Cape Dutch Estates (41)
Contemporary Estates (56)
Design Estates (17)
Mediterranean Estates (8)
A few words about cultivars
Boasting more than 20 very different wine routes, each with their own specific terroir , South Africa offers a large range of cultivars (cepages).
Whereas winemakers formerly focused on the cultivars as such (Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Chardonnay,...), they are now attaching more importance to the origin of the wines. Indeed, you will without a doubt notice a real distinction between a Sauvignon Blanc produced in the Elgin area and one produced in Constantia, or between a Pinot Noir from Hemel-en-Aarde and one coming from Stellenbosch...
If the classic New World cultivars are to be found in South Africa (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chenin, Shiraz to name but a few...), the South African wine industry has recently been working on more "confidential" cepages, such as Riesling, Viognier, Roussanne,... with great success!
South Africa is also one of the rare countries to have created a specific varietal (Pinotage, a hybrid between Pinot Noir and Cinsault 'Hermitage')