Five reasons to visit the Breedekloof Wine Valley

Here are five reasons why you should put Breedekloof down on your wine exploring itinerary:

Location, location, location

The Breedekloof Wine Route is situated between Worcester and Paarl in the Breede River Valley, and includes Rawsonville, Slanghoek, Goudini and Breërivier. It is walled by the Slanghoek and Du Toitskloof Mountains in the west and south-west, and the foothills of the Hex River Mountains in the north-east. It’s about an hour’s drive out of Cape Town and the dramatic mountain and river views along the way definitely make up for the time on the road.

Recommended: For truly Instagram perfect views, head for a wine tasting and lunch at Opstal Estate in the Slanghoek Valley.

Opstal Estate

It’s got heart

The region consists of 27 wineries that range from small boutique wineries to large cellars with a true sense of comradery and support amongst the wine makers. In fact in 2015 the Breedekloof Makers was formed, this is “a band of like-minded winemakers committed to emphasising the quality of wines being made in the region”. The Breedekloof Makers consist of 12 winemakers and we met with them all when visiting the valley. It was truly heart-warming to see the support these winemakers give to each other as well as the excellent hospitality they extend to visitors.

Recommended: The Stofberg Family Vineyard. This family run boutique winery hosted us to a generous braai and Chenin Blanc tasting at their cellar and definitely got all the warm and fuzzies flowing with their generosity, beautiful wines and superb gin. (Side Note: The handcrafted Old N1 Craft Distillery Gin deserves a shout-out. Served with their signature pink tonic, this is now my 'number 1' summer season drink)

This is what we are all about, rustic settings, authentic winemakers and great Chenin. Thank you @StofbergMiaWine for hosting! pic.twitter.com/Whh33Nc6dH

— Breedekloof Makers (@BreedeMakers) November 3, 2016

Our makers are multi-talented, home brewed gin & home brewed pink tonic - some of the magic you find #anderkantdieberg @StofbergMiaWine pic.twitter.com/HFYPEguW5j

— Breedekloof Makers (@BreedeMakers) November 3, 2016

You’ll find the best Chenin

The area and its terroir is best suited to producing the best Chenin Blanc grapes and award winning Chenin Blancs. In fact, the Breedekloof Makers was formed to craft small, boutique productions of Chenin Blanc in limited volumes. If you like your Chenin, Breedekloof is the place to taste.

Recommended: Opstal's Carl Everson Chenin Blanc 2015 - this wine has just been awarded a 5* Platter award in the 2017 edition.

Winning wine women

Of the 12 Breedekloof Makers the wines produced by the three female winemakers were my favourites. Lieza van der Merwe from Merwida, Mariëtte Coetzee from the Stofberg Family Vineyards and Elizma Visser from Olifantsberg Family Vineyards have created some truly well balanced and beautifully layered wines and between the three of them they have racked up a fair amount of awards and accolades.

Recommended: Stofberg Family Vineyards's Mariëtte Chenin Blanc and the Olifantsberg Silhouette

Elizma Visser – Olifantsberg

Breedekloof is celebrating

On the 15 November, the Breedekloof Wine Valley will be celebrating a year of numerous awards for its wine with a festival until 17 December. Each of the cellars involved will host visitors with a range of activities, including picnics, delicious food offerings, unique food and wine pairings, craft beer and gin tastings, lucky draws and more. The wineries will also offer free wines with purchases of 12 bottles of wine or more during this period. For more info click here

For more on the Breedekloof Wine Valley visit breedekloof.com or contact Breedekloof Wine Valley Tourism Office at moc.foolkedeerb@ofni or 023 349 1791.