Blaauwklippen Tasting House

Few wine estates in South Africa can claim a history as long as Blaauwklippen's. Granted in 1682, the farm on Stellenbosch's R44 has been producing wine for over three centuries, making it one of the oldest continuously operating estates in the Cape and the country's first registered company. The name, meaning 'blue stones' in Dutch, refers to the granite-rich soils beneath Stellenbosch Mountain that give the estate's wines their distinctive minerality and structure.

Blaauwklippen has always been a pioneer. In 1977, it introduced Zinfandel to South Africa -- the first vineyard of the variety planted anywhere in the country. Three years later, the inaugural Zinfandel vintage confirmed the grape's affinity for Stellenbosch soils, and the variety has been a cornerstone of the estate ever since. In 1984, Blaauwklippen created the Blending Competition, the first of its kind in South Africa, an event that continues annually over four decades later and has become one of the Cape's most celebrated participatory wine experiences.

Since 2016, winemaker Narina Cloete has guided the cellar. A Stellenbosch University graduate in oenology and viticulture (cum laude), Cloete gained hands-on experience at Quoin Rock Wines before joining Blaauwklippen. Her approach combines technical precision with sensitivity to the estate's 115 hectares of vineyards. Since 2004, the winery has exclusively used natural yeasts, allowing fermentation to express the specifics of each vintage without artificial influence. The result is wines that balance the weight of heritage with genuine modernity.

The wine portfolio spans a wide range: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Rose and a Brut MCC. The estate also produces a craft Farm Gin. The Barouche restaurant on the property serves Mediterranean-inspired cuisine in an oak-shaded courtyard, and the estate hosts the popular weekly Blaauwklippen Family Market on Sundays -- a fixture on the Stellenbosch calendar that draws locals and visitors alike with artisan food, live music and crafts. A kid-friendly property with expansive grounds, Blaauwklippen balances its formidable three-century heritage with a relaxed, contemporary visitor experience that makes its history feel alive rather than museumlike. It is the kind of estate where you can sit beneath ancient oaks with a glass of the only Zinfandel grown in South Africa, watch children running on the lawns, and understand in a single afternoon why Stellenbosch became the heartland of Cape wine. That the estate has maintained this standard for over 340 years is not just impressive -- it is singular in South African winemaking.