South Africa’s Western Cape Province in the south-western tip of the African continent is renowned for its natural beauty and bounty. Table Mountain is the dominant splendour in Cape Town, the legislative capital of the country, but a mere half hour drive away is the Cape Winelands district, the gourmet capital.

Stellenbosch, the heart of South Africa’s wine industry, is 50 kilometres east of Cape Town. The city is steeped in history with canal lined avenues, giant oak trees and beautifully preserved historic buildings. Dorp Street has the longest rows of surviving old buildings in any major town in southern Africa. The five Stellenbosch Wine Routes boast more than 150 wineries in total and wine tourism is big business here. Most of the wineries offer wine sampling and tours but many go beyond. Vredenheim has a Big Cats Park, Hidden Valley offers bird watching, Blauuwklippen has a distillery and bistro, at De Zalze there’s golf and at Jordan fly-fishing. Clos Malverne and Spier have spas, Stellenrust and Thelema have hiking trails, and there’s horseback riding at Morgenhof and Waterkloof Estate. These are just some examples of the long list of activities on offer.

At Lanzerac my small group had a premium pairing of five wines with five different flavoured chocolates. The unusual matches worked well and the chocolate lovers among us were in heaven. The winery also offered cheese and wine pairings, kiddies’ pairings (using non-alcoholic grapetiser matched with chocolates) and heritage tastings of older vintages. In their Deli visitors could buy fresh baked breads, cheese and charcuterie platters and picnic baskets filled with goodies to be enjoyed in their garden overlooking the vineyards. www.lanzerac.co.za Every year Stellenbosch holds a three-day lifestyle festival that showcases hundreds of Stellenbosch wines from award-winning producers to small boutique wineries, gourmet food offerings by top restaurants, live music and fun outdoor activities. The dates in 2016 are February 5-7. www.stellenboschwinefestival.co.za From Stellenbosch we went over the Helshoogte Pass to the charming town of Franschhoek, which dates back to the 17th century when the French Huguenots arrived. Of course the town is chock-a-block with good places to eat. We chose La Petite Ferme on Pass Road with spectacular views overlooking the town and dined on braised rabbit, venison loin, teriyaki pork belly and other dishes. This working wine farm also offers accommodation set amongst the vineyards. www.lapetiteferme.co.za

Our last stop was Paarl, one of the Cape’s first farming districts set at the foot of a cluster of remarkable granite domes which have been compared in majesty to Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) in Australia. Its name comes from the appearance of the Paarl Rock, which resembles a glistening pearl (Afrikaans: paarl) after rain. Paarl began as an outpost for trade between Dutch settlers and the local Khoi and later was home to the first branded wine cellar KWV. In the aftermath of apartheid and the opening of trade, Paarl producers together formed the Paarl Wine Route, the second such route in South Africa. Its larger, better known members include KWV and Nederburg Wine Estate, of Nederburg Auction fame. Fairview Winery, founded in 1693, raises goats on its property and thus cheekily has a wine brand called “Goats do Roam” (a play on the famous southern France region Côtes du Rhone). Fairview’s wine and cheese tasting room has become one of the most popular Cape winelands destinations, building on a reputation that stretches back to the 1970′s, when Cyril and Beryl Back first welcomed guests to the farm. We had eight of Fairview’s excellent Jersey milk and goat’s milk cheeses paired with eight delicious wines. www.paarlwine.co.za

From Paarl, the furthest point we drove that day, it was still only 45 minutes back to Cape Town. There are few cities in the world that can boast such a bountiful array of wineries, gourmet food experiences and natural beauty so close to their doorstep.