Stellenbosch wine: a guide to South Africa's premier region

Drive thirty minutes east from Cape Town and the mountains start to rise. Stellenbosch sits in their shadow, founded in 1679 by governor Simon van der Stel, and it has been making wine for three centuries longer than most of the New World regions it gets compared to.

For anyone in the UK looking past the supermarket shelf, this is usually where a South African wine habit starts. It is the region that proved the Cape could compete at the top, and it still produces the country's most reliable Cabernet Sauvignon.

Why the place works

Terroir is an overused word, but Stellenbosch genuinely has an unusual amount of it.

The soils record a lot of geological time: granite off ancient mountains, sandstone weathered by wind and rain, mineral-rich clay. Each contributes something different. The granite slopes of the Simonsberg ward give Cabernet with sharp focus and a mineral spine. The clay-heavy Bottelary Hills produce powerful, structured reds that age for decades.

The climate helps as much. Hot, dry summers ripen the fruit fully, while cool air off both the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean holds the acidity in place. The Helderberg mountains shelter the vineyards from the worst of the wind, which creates a patchwork of microclimates rather than one uniform growing area.

The grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon is what built the reputation. Well-drained soils and warm summers suit it, and the best examples show blackcurrant layered with cedar, tobacco and mint, with the structure to sit in a cellar for twenty years. Kanonkop Kadette Cabernet Sauvignon at £20 and Hartenberg Estate Cabernet Sauvignon at £23 are the sensible places to start. Boekenhoutskloof Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon at £49 is the serious one.

The Bordeaux-style blends deserve equal attention. Meerlust Rubicon at £40 is the region's most famous wine, and Meerlust Red at £19 is the same estate at an everyday price. Warwick Trilogy at £37 is the other name to know.

Chenin Blanc should not be overlooked. Stellenbosch versions run from crisp and zesty to rich and complex, and the granite soils suit the grape's natural acidity, which survives even in hot years.

Pinotage exists nowhere else, a 1920s crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, and Stellenbosch makes some of the finest examples: bold and smoky, with dark fruit and an earthy character that splits opinion. Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage at £19.49 is the benchmark.

Syrah is the one currently gaining ground. Warm days and cool nights produce wines that sit between Northern Rhone restraint and New World generosity, with peppery spice and a savoury edge that makes them useful at a table. Zevenwacht 7even Syrah at £15.99 and David Finlayson The Pepper Pot at £14.99 both show it well.

The wards

Stellenbosch is not one uniform place. It is a set of distinct wards, each with a different character.

Simonsberg-Stellenbosch sits on the granite slopes of the Simonsberg mountain. Altitude and cooling wind stretch the ripening season, and the wines show more finesse as a result.

Bottelary Hills is red wine country, with iron-rich soils that suit Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The wines are powerful and built to keep.

Papegaaiberg is cooler because it sits closer to False Bay, which makes it good for Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay as well as lighter reds.

Devon Valley falls between the two: warm enough for serious reds, cool enough to keep them fresh.

Choosing well

Look for producers who work with specific sites rather than blending from across the whole region. That is usually where the character is.

Single-vineyard bottles are often the best a producer makes, but estate blends from good names can be better value while still showing real skill. Reyneke Organic Red at £15.89 is a good example, from an estate farming biodynamically.

For an occasion, the historic estates are worth the money. For everyday drinking, younger producers frequently offer more interest per pound. Warwick First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon at £13.49 and Ernst Gouws Pinot Noir at £11.99 both sit in that bracket.

Where it is going

Modern Stellenbosch holds on to its traditions while being fairly relaxed about changing things. A lot of estates have moved to sustainable farming on the straightforward basis that healthier soil makes better wine. Others are trying new varieties and techniques without abandoning what the region does well.

What that offers UK buyers is fairly rare: an established region that is still improving. Browse the full Stellenbosch selection or the wider South African red wines range. We deliver anywhere in the UK.