Hermanus Wine Route

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As a wine philistine, Hermanus wine route has always stuck in my mind as the home of the double-barrel-named vineyard more than anything else!

According to the reading I have done, the wines are highly acclaimed and in demand as the terroir is challenging and yields are small.

The climate is particularly suited to Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vines.

The valley contains the southernmost vineyards in Africa, though it must be a close run thing – what about Cape Point Vineyards in Noordhoek and Scarborough? That’s 34 deg 22 min South according to their website – what’s the latitude of Hemel and Aarde, anyone?!

Double Barrel - and not wine barrels, either!

My first memory of the Hemel and Aarde Valley (Heaven and Earth Valley to the uninitiated) is inextricably linked to the name Hamilton Russell, the name of the man who established the first vineyards in the valley.

Those vineyards were registered as a formal wine estate in the early 1990’s, soon after I arrived in Cape Town. No doubt the PR and marketing machine went into high gear which is why it made an impression on my (admittedly uncultivated) mind!

Bouchard Finlayson is another of the illustrious small wineries in the valley and so is Newton-Johnson, both continuing the double-barreled trend. Do you see what I mean about the names?!

There are other wineries there too, such as Whalehaven, Cape Bay, Sumaridge. Beaumont Wines is a little further afield in Bot River.

As to food, there is Heaven. Apparently aptly named (I have yet to eat there but the views are sublime – panoramic from Cape Point to Gans Baai) and with a champagne bar to boot, it sounds like a worthwhile destination in itself.

Where is the Hemel and Aarde Valley/ Hermanus Wine Route?

Travelling from Cape Town on the R43 (the main route from the N2 to Hermanus), you pass the R320 on your left just beyond Onrus. This is the road that runs up through the valley towards Caledon.

Follow your nose!

The Wine Village

If you don’t have time to go wine tasting, shame on you!

But luckily the Wine Village comes to your rescue. At the corner of the Main Road/Sandbaai intersection you will find Hemel and Aarde shopping village, where all the local wines are on sale.