Stellenbosch

The university town of Stellenbosch is regarded as the South African wine industry's spiritual home. Many of the larger wineries have their headquarters here. The natural conditions of the region vary enormously but most vineyards benefit from the cooling influence of the Atlantic in summer. This is where the country's greatest concentration of dedicated individual estates is to be found, with a traditional reputation for reds – notably Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz – but some increasingly exciting whites too. Some of the best wines come from the estates around the town itself since these are cooled by ocean breezes from False Bay, or from those higher up in the hills.

Some favourite producers: Delheim, De Trafford, Jordan, Kanonkop, Flagstone, The Foundry, Forrester/Meinert, Meerlust, Morgenster, Mulderbosch, Neethlingshof, Overgaauw, Quoin Rock, Rustenberg, Rust en Vrede, Thelema, Tokara, Vergelegen, Warwick, Waterford.