Stellenbosch
The second-oldest town in South Africa was founded in 1679 by Simon van der Stel shortly after he arrived in Cape Town from the Netherlands, having been appointed Commander of the Cape (a title which was later changed to Governor) by the Dutch East India Company. Traveling east about 30 miles from Cape Town, he came upon a river valley where he made camp. This beautiful and fertile spot became “van der Stel’s bush”, or Stellenbosch.
The town grew into a center for agricultural studies, with Stellenbosch University, the Elsenberg School of Agriculture, and the Nietvoorbij Institute of Enology and Viticulture providing modern facilities and cutting-edge research. The Wine and Spirits Board, which is the main regulatory body for the industry, is in Stellenbosch, as is Distell, the country’s largest wine and brandy producer. Though Stellenbosch accounts for only 14% of South African wine, it has a higher concentration of premium wineries than any other district.
Stellenbosch is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet-based Bordeaux style blends, but its varied soils and climate conditions support plantings of many cultivars from Pinotage to Chardonnay, and even Pinot Noir on cooler sites. The Simonsberg, Stellenbosch, and Helderberg mountains exert strong influences, as does proximity to False Bay. Soils are ancient, with alluvial loam over shale on the valley floors to decomposed granite and sandstone on the hillsides. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc are the most planted varietals, with Merlot, Shiraz, and Chenin Blanc also important.
There are seven wards. Simonsberg-Stellenbosch was the first ward to be delineated in Stellenbosch, in 1980, and is the furthest from False Bay. The dramatic sandstone peaks of Simonsberg Mountain rise starkly between Stellenbosch and Paarl, and the foothills nurture vineyards on all sides. The southwestern, Stellenbosch side yields structured, ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignon, spicy, earthy Pinotage, and other red varieties including Sangiovese, Mourvedre, and Petit Verdot. The oldest Pinot Noir vineyard in South Africa was planted here in 1927. White grapes are grown at the higher elevations.
Banghoek is one of the newest wards, just east of Simonsberg-Stellenbosch. Mist, high rainfall, and southeasterly winds lend cool climate character to the primarily red wines. Jonkershoekberge (Jonkershoek Mountain) divides Banghoek to the north from Jonkershoek Valley to the South. Rainfall in the valley is high, and strong winds are frequent. Sunlight hours are curtailed on the steep, elevated southwest facing vineyards, which produce refined Cabernet, Merlot and Shiraz, with greater emphasis on varietals than on blends. Elegantly-styled, floral whites are made from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
In the Bottelary Hills there are four small adjacent wards. In the center, Bottelary, the largest of the four, is home to the oldest commercial Pinotage vineyard, and is also well-regarded for Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. To the Southeast, Devon Valley is planted mostly to red varietals, especially Shiraz. Polkadraai Hills is at the east side of Bottelary, and tiny Papagaaiberg lies west of Devon Valley.