Written by: Clifford Roberts; Photography: Johan Viljoen Map The Swartland Wine and Olive Route is often cited as the Cape’s best weekend getaway. The combination of rolling hills, vineyards and wheatfields, wilderness, quirky personalities, and genuine country hospitality – all minutes from Cape Town – are among its greatest attractions. The route’s website and office …
Written by Clifford Roberts; photography Johan Viljoen Chenin blanc does so well in South Africa that it has in many respects become the country’s global calling card for quality wine. A significant part of this honour belongs to the Swartland, which is home to some 15% of these vineyards. It is in this region just …
Written by Clifford Roberts; Photographs: Johan Viljoen Sometimes old stories need to be re-told, lest the lessons we’ve learned be forgotten. For the Swartland, this is certainly true when it comes to one of its foundational wine grape varieties. The story of Swartland and indeed South African wines cannot be told without reference to the …
Written by: Clifford Roberts; Photography: Johan Viljoen It’s hard to believe that the world’s first recorded “long-distance” road trip by automobile – as reported by Wikipedia – extended just 106km. The distance may seem paltry now, but for what was essentially a carriage with an engine, the experimental Benz Patent-Motorwagen Number 3 was revolutionary for …
Stop and go: A guide to the Swartland’s great destinations for tasting Read More »
If you’re passing by, you’ll feel there’s something in the air. These are no ordinary days in the Swartland. The reason? Wineries are in the thick of the annual grape harvest, an event greeted with exuberance on farms across the Cape winelands. This is the time that many small towns and villages come alive. For …
Written by Clifford Roberts; Photography Johan Viljoen Of all the weird things to come out of the early days of Covid, one of the biggies must be the concept of sunning one’s perineum. We’ll leave you to google that for yourself. The point being, some thought it was natural. More natural however, and certainly more …
Pét-Nat and the bold art of sunning your unmentionables Read More »
Written by Clifford Roberts; Photography by Johan Viljoen This blog post is a continuation of a two-part entry. It sets out the characteristics that give the Swartland its identity, which is why we’ve drawn up an A to Z of the region. It’s not an exhaustive list, but if you’re planning a staycation in these …
Written by Clifford Roberts; Photographer Johan Viljoen Every region has characteristics that give it identity. First to mind for the Swartland may be the wheatfields and vineyards, olive groves and hamlets. But there is so much more, which is why we’ve drawn up an A to Z of the Swartland. It’s not an exhaustive list, …
There has always been something inherently riveting about having a meal in the Swartland. After all, this is the place associated with the first written record of the word boerekos, translated directly from Afrikaans as “farmer’s food”. We’ve come to understand that concept as meal being wholesome, generally large and traditional. But, it’s a word …
9 local places to enjoy Swartland wine with food this season Read More »
Written by Nadia Sadie & Corrien Basson; Copy editing by Anna-Bet Stemmet One of the most satisfying things in life is watching hard work pay off. This is especially true when recognition is received where it is due. We recently experienced a rewarding moment of this kind when Benjamin Booysen and Randall Julies received awards …
