A long, long time ago, when the first historians made their way into the Swartland at the height of summer, they encountered a wild landscape mottled in dark swatches of grey. This was the result of the native Renosterbos (‘rhino bush’) that grows darker in colour as the weather grows warm. Deciding to call a spade a spade, they promptly named it Het Zwarteland (‘the black land’) and proceeded to cultivate a wide array of crops, mainly wheat and vegetables at first, with little bits of vineyard to make wine for their own use. Little did they know that it would these little vineyards that would ultimately put the Swartland on the global map.

The Swartland wine route was established in 1986 to promote the producers of that do their thing in the vast area that stretches from Piketberg in the south, to the Berg River in the north, and encompasses the towns of Piketberg, Malmesbury, Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel. From long-established cooperatives with shelves full of international awards, to feisty independent mavericks that are making a splash with their incredible old vine wines, today the Swartland is home to an extraordinary array of wineries and olive producers who are making waves both locally and abroad.