Three days in Stellenbosch

Day one. The town and the classics.

Morning. Start in Stellenbosch town itself, oak-lined streets and Cape Dutch gables, the second oldest town in South Africa and the prettiest university campus on earth. Coffee on Dorp Street before the wine. Afternoon. Kanonkop, the closest thing the Cape has to a first growth. Taste the Pinotage even if you arrived with opinions about Pinotage; this is the estate that wins the argument. Evening. Dinner in town. The restaurant scene outpunches the town's size absurdly.

Day two. The Helshoogte Pass and the view estates.

Morning. Up the Helshoogte Pass to Delaire Graff for the most photographed view in Cape wine, or Tokara next door for the same mountains with quieter crowds. Taste the Chardonnay and the Cabernet both. Afternoon. Down the other side towards Franschhoek for lunch, or stay high and book a Bordeaux-blend tasting on the pass. Evening. Sunset drinks somewhere west-facing. The light here forgives nothing and flatters everything.

Day three. Chenin and the coast question.

Morning. A Chenin Blanc-focused tasting; old vine Chenin is South Africa's trump card and Stellenbosch farms some of the best. Ask for anything labelled old vines or Ou Wingerd. Afternoon. Either a final estate with lunch in the vines, or the forty minute run to the False Bay coast to see the ocean that cools the whole story. Evening. Last dinner with a braai if you can find one. Cabernet, smoke, and the Cape Doctor rattling the windows.

Know before you go

When to go. February and March are harvest. October to April is the dry, glorious season. June and July are wet, green and quiet, with fireside tastings.

Getting there. 45 minutes from Cape Town airport. Hire a car or use the wine tram and driver services; distances are short, the temptation is not.

How many days. Three from a Stellenbosch base, easily a week if Cape Town gets involved, and it will.

The estates. Walk-ins still work at many cellar doors, a rarity now anywhere; book the famous ones a few days ahead. Tastings 5 to 15 US dollars equivalent, the best value serious tasting culture in the world.

The mistake first timers make. Treating it as a Cape Town day trip. One rushed afternoon flattens three centuries of wine into a photo stop; stay at least two nights.

Drink it before you go

A Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cape's claim to seriousness, structure with sun in it.

An old vine Chenin Blanc. South Africa's signature white, honeyed and taut at once.

A Kanonkop Pinotage. The controversial grape at its most persuasive. Form your own view.

Stellenbosch is one of twelve places in The Grape Atlas. Learn it in five minutes, free.