The best wines of Western Cape

Discover the best wines of Western Cape as well as the best winemakers of Western Cape and estates of Western Cape to visit. Explore the popular grape varieties of Western Cape and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Top wines of Western Cape by region

Looking for a good wine of Western Cape among the top wines in the region? Check out our tops of the best red, white or effervescent wines of Western Cape. Also find some food and wine pairings that may be appropriate with these exceptional wines. Learn more about the region and the wines of Western Cape with technical and enological descriptions.

Great red wines of Western Cape

See the top 100 best red wines of Western Cape

Want to buy a red wine of Western Cape cheap or sell a red wine of Western Cape at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of Western Cape

Red wines from the region of Western Cape go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or pork such as recipes of roast monkfish with bacon, baked lamb neck on a bed of vegetables and grapes or rice with sausage meat and tomatoes.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Western Cape

On the nose the red wine of the region of Western Cape. often reveals types of flavors of cherry, red fruit or microbio and sometimes also flavors of vegetal, oak or spices. In the mouth the red wine of the region of Western Cape. is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.

The best vintages in red wine of Western Cape

  • 2005With an average score of 4.50/5
  • 2010With an average score of 4.42/5
  • 2012With an average score of 4.38/5
  • 2018With an average score of 4.37/5
  • 2019With an average score of 4.37/5
  • 2011With an average score of 4.35/5

The most used grape varieties in red wine of Western Cape

  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Merlot
  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Petit Verdot
  • Malbec

The best wineries and winemakers for red wine of Western Cape

A wine route planned in the region of Western Cape? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best red wine of Western Cape.

Discovering the wine region of Western Cape

The Western Cape is home to the vast majority of the South African wine industry, and the country's two most famous wine regions, Stellenbosch and Paarl. The city of Cape Town serves as the epicenter of the Cape Winelands, a mountainous, biologically diverse area in the south-western corner of the African continent. A wide variety of wines are produced here. Wines from the Shiraz and Pinotage">Pinotage grape varieties can be fresh and juicy or Full-bodied and gutsy.

The Western Cape's Elegant, ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignon wines and Bordeaux Blends were at the vanguard as exports recommenced in the mid-1990s, while Burgundy-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Walker Bay are gaining global acclaim, and cool-climate style Sauvignon Blanc from Darling and Overberg is rivaling that made in any other New World country. The Western Cape's wine regions stretch 300 kilomers (185 miles) from Cape Town to the Mouth of the Olifants River in the North, and 360km (220 miles) to Mossel Bay in the east. Areas under Vine are rarely more than 160km (100 miles) from the coast. Further inland, the influence of the semi-arid Great Karoo Desert takes over.

The climate can be cool and rainy (as in Cape Point and Walker Bay) but is more often than not Mediterranean in nature. The Western Cape is littered with spectacular mountain ranges that form the Cape Fold belt. These are extremely important for viticulture across the whole region, contributing soils and mesoclimates ideal for the production of premium wines. Of particular importance are the Boland Mountains, which form the eastern border of the Coastal Region, and the Langeberg range, which separates the Breede River Valley from the Klein Karoo semi-desert.

Great white wines of Western Cape

See the top 100 best white wines of Western Cape

Want to buy a white wine of Western Cape cheap or sell a white wine of Western Cape at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a white wine of Western Cape

White wines from the region of Western Cape go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of reblochon tartiflette, tuna, pepper and tomato quiche or quiche without pastry.

Organoleptic analysis of white wine of Western Cape

On the nose the white wine of the region of Western Cape. often reveals types of flavors of butterscotch, pastry or slate and sometimes also flavors of marzipan, lychee or saline. In the mouth the white wine of the region of Western Cape. is a powerful with a nice freshness.

The best vintages in white wine of Western Cape

  • 2007With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2008With an average score of 4.29/5
  • 2019With an average score of 4.24/5
  • 2013With an average score of 4.22/5
  • 2011With an average score of 4.21/5
  • 2014With an average score of 4.20/5

The most used grape varieties in white wine of Western Cape

  • Chenin Blanc
  • Chardonnay
  • Sémillon
  • Viognier
  • Clairette
  • Roussanne

The best wineries and winemakers for white wine of Western Cape

A wine route planned in the region of Western Cape? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best white wine of Western Cape.

Discover the grape variety: Sauvignon

Sauvignon Gris is a grape variety that originated in France (South-West). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small bunches and small grapes. Sauvignon Gris can be found in many vineyards: South West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Loire Valley, Burgundy, Jura, Beaujolais, Armagnac, Provence & Corsica, Rhone Valley, Savoie & Bugey.

Great sparkling wines of Western Cape

See the top 100 best sparkling wines of Western Cape

Want to buy a sparkling wine of Western Cape cheap or sell a sparkling wine of Western Cape at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sparkling wine of Western Cape

Sparkling wines from the region of Western Cape go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of croque madame, pasta with tuna, garlic and lemon cream or leek, goat cheese and bacon quiche.

Organoleptic analysis of sparkling wine of Western Cape

On the nose the sparkling wine of the region of Western Cape. often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, vegetal or honey and sometimes also flavors of melon, straw or chalk.

The best vintages in sparkling wine of Western Cape

  • 2020With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2005With an average score of 4.10/5
  • 1973With an average score of 4.00/5
  • 2013With an average score of 3.89/5
  • 2003With an average score of 3.86/5
  • 2009With an average score of 3.84/5

The most used grape varieties in sparkling wine of Western Cape

  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Noir
  • Pinotage
  • Muscadelle
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Chenin Blanc

The best wineries and winemakers for sparkling wine of Western Cape

A wine route planned in the region of Western Cape? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sparkling wine of Western Cape.

The word of the wine: Red winemaking

Transformation of grapes into must and wine under the effect of alcoholic fermentation. The vinification of red wines takes place in several stages: destemming, crushing, alcoholic fermentation, vatting, running off and maturing.

Great pink wines of Western Cape

See the top 100 best pink wines of Western Cape

Want to buy a pink wine of Western Cape cheap or sell a pink wine of Western Cape at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a pink wine of Western Cape

Pink wines from the region of Western Cape go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or pork such as recipes of beef luc lake, lamb keftas or special' tagliatelle carbonara.

Organoleptic analysis of pink wine of Western Cape

On the nose the pink wine of the region of Western Cape. often reveals types of flavors of strawberries, raspberry or tree fruit and sometimes also flavors of red fruit, tropical fruit or black fruit.

The best vintages in pink wine of Western Cape

  • 2020With an average score of 3.86/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.76/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.70/5
  • 2018With an average score of 3.68/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.64/5
  • 2016With an average score of 3.56/5

The most used grape varieties in pink wine of Western Cape

  • Pinotage
  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Merlot
  • Grenache
  • Viognier

The best wineries and winemakers for pink wine of Western Cape

A wine route planned in the region of Western Cape? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best pink wine of Western Cape.

Discover the grape variety: Touriga nacional

Most certainly Portuguese, not to be confused with the Touriga Franca also of the same origin. In Portugal, where it is widely cultivated, it is used to produce, among other things, the famous red Porto. It is also found in Uzbekistan, Australia, South Africa, Cyprus, Spain, etc... very little known in France, although it is listed in the Official Catalogue of A1 vines.

Great sweet wines of Western Cape

See the top 100 best sweet wines of Western Cape

Want to buy a sweet wine of Western Cape cheap or sell a sweet wine of Western Cape at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sweet wine of Western Cape

Sweet wines from the region of Western Cape go well with generally quite well with dishes of shellfish, lean fish or fruity desserts such as recipes of seafood pie, back of cod in foil or the coughing cat's apple crumble.

Organoleptic analysis of sweet wine of Western Cape

On the nose the sweet wine of the region of Western Cape. often reveals types of flavors of oaky, microbio or floral and sometimes also flavors of tropical fruit, dried fruit or dried fruit.

The best vintages in sweet wine of Western Cape

  • 2003With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2016With an average score of 3.96/5
  • 2015With an average score of 3.95/5
  • 2020With an average score of 3.90/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.88/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.87/5

The most used grape varieties in sweet wine of Western Cape

  • Muscat of Alexandria
  • Pinotage
  • Chenin Blanc
  • Moscato
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Shiraz/Syrah

The best wineries and winemakers for sweet wine of Western Cape

A wine route planned in the region of Western Cape? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sweet wine of Western Cape.

The word of the wine: Film maceration

A technique that consists of leaving the grapes to macerate in the open air at a low temperature before fermentation, thus enhancing the aromatic expression of the wine.

Great natural sweet wines of Western Cape

See the top 100 best natural sweet wines of Western Cape

Want to buy a natural-sweet wine of Western Cape cheap or sell a natural-sweet wine of Western Cape at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a natural-sweet wine of Western Cape

Natural sweet wines from the region of Western Cape go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, mature and hard cheese or spicy food such as recipes of burger roll, truffle from auvergne or seafood, chorizo and chicken paella from patou.

Organoleptic analysis of natural-sweet wine of Western Cape

On the nose the natural sweet wine of the region of Western Cape. often reveals types of flavors of non oak, earth or microbio and sometimes also flavors of oak, spices or dried fruit.

The best vintages in natural-sweet wine of Western Cape

  • 1948With an average score of 4.80/5
  • 2006With an average score of 4.70/5
  • 1968With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2009With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2001With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2002With an average score of 4.50/5

The most used grape varieties in natural-sweet wine of Western Cape

  • Touriga Nacional
  • Tinta Barroca
  • Touriga Franca
  • Souzao
  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Muscadelle

The best wineries and winemakers for natural-sweet wine of Western Cape

A wine route planned in the region of Western Cape? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best natural-sweet wine of Western Cape.

Discover the grape variety: Pinot

Pinot noir is a grape variety that originated in France (Burgundy). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small bunches, and small grapes. Pinot noir can be found in many vineyards: Burgundy, Alsace, Jura, South-West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Savoie & Bugey, Loire Valley, Champagne, Armagnac, Lorraine, Beaujolais, Rhône Valley, Provence & Corsica.

News from the vineyard of Western Cape

Walls: My top 10 Rhône wines of the year 2021

Of all the columns I’ve written this year, this one should have been the easiest to write: open my tasting notes file, sort by year 2021, sort by score, select the top ten highest scoring wines, copy and paste. Go to the pub. But it’s not that simple. Some wines are technically perfect and undeniably excellent, wines I respect greatly that deserve their high scores – but on a personal level, they leave me a little cold. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top ...

Major Bordeaux merchant Maison Joanne gets new shareholders

Several private investors have taken shareholdings in Maison Joanne, one of the biggest Bordeaux négociant firms and leading distributor of grands crus to wine merchants around the world. Company president Pierre Antoine Castéja announced the changes in a letter to business partners and friends on the eve of the Bordeaux 2021 en primeur tasting week. It marks a new chapter for the family business, which celebrates its 160th anniversary this year and has around 5 million bottles of fine wine stor ...

Andrew Jefford: ‘2021 has been the year of all the miseries’

How’s the weather been this year? Awful. ‘La nature m’écoeure’, one of my wine-growing friends posted on Facebook on 8 April, having been out to look at the frost-crippled shoots on his vines that morning: ‘Nature disgusts me’. It takes a lot to make a wine-grower feel that. He wasn’t alone. Jeremiads echo around the northern hemisphere as 2021 closes. It’s been the year of all the miseries. None suffered more horribly than the growers of Germany’s Ahr valley, where floodwaters caused by the fou ...

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