Clos Malverne Wine Farm

In the Devon Valley, six kilometres from the centre of Stellenbosch, a small farm called Malvern Heights quietly changed the course of South African winemaking. Colonel JW Billingham had named it after the rolling hills of Malvern in his native England. When Seymour Pritchard bought the ten-hectare property in 1969, he added a touch of French flair, renaming it Clos Malverne after the clos-style homestead on the farm.

For nearly two decades, Pritchard sold his grapes to other wineries. Then, at a Christmas Eve braai in the 1980s, a friend posed a simple question: why not make your own wine? Pritchard took the gamble, and his Cabernet Sauvignon 1988 became the first Clos Malverne wine released to the public. A year later, Jeremy Walker joined as winemaker, and the estate began planting Pinotage, Merlot and Shiraz alongside the Cabernet vines.

The defining moment came in 1995, when Clos Malverne became one of the very first wineries to produce a Cape Blend -- a red wine combining at least thirty percent Pinotage with Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties. The flagship wine, the Auret, was reformulated from a Bordeaux-style Cabernet-Merlot blend into a Cabernet Sauvignon-Pinotage Cape Blend. Three years later, the Auret 1998 became the first Cape Blend ever to receive five-star status in the John Platter Wine Guide, cementing Clos Malverne's place in the history of South African wine.

IP Smit joined as winemaker in 1997, having previously worked at Simonsig, and played a central role in the estate's continued success through the years that followed. Under his watch, Clos Malverne developed a reputation for full-bodied reds with generous fruit and careful oak handling, rooted in the warm Devon Valley terroir.

Today, Clos Malverne is a complete wine destination. The restaurant operates as a family-friendly bistro with seasonal menus, beautifully plated bistro-style dishes, woodfired pizzas, and set menus alongside vegetarian and vegan options. Wine tastings are conducted in the restaurant and can be paired with ice cream, pizza, cheese, or charcuterie.

Nine luxury rooms are spread across the estate -- three at the top near the restaurant, spa and manor house, and six nestled among the vineyards at the lower end of the property, complete with their own splash pool. The on-site spa offers facials, massages, body wraps and couple's treatments in a private wet room with steam room, all overlooking the Devon Valley.

Friday and Saturday evenings see extended hours until 21:00, making Clos Malverne one of the few Stellenbosch estates where visitors can enjoy a full dinner service paired with estate wines as the sun sets over the valley.