Ratchet and Knock Out would handle the calmer ones, then Betty would hand over the still-feral little bits while she took the others to the crèche. Most of them were already calming down from the first-framed feral behavior, but the one she was carrying was still struggling and growling at her.īetty directed the others to Ratchet and Knock Out, well used to the routine now. He and Knock Out were frantically trying to get through all of the new sparkling checkups before something went wrong.īetty- the vehicon that Ratchet had taken on as a nurse-apprentice- was leading this group. Planning your next trip? Check out our latest travel guides, written by local experts.Ratchet smiled slightly as the next batch of sparklings was brought in. And don’t miss the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, just outside the whale-watching haven of Hermanus, along the Southern Coast. Visit Elgin up and over the magnificent Sir Lowry’s Pass.

Head to Darling, and try and fit in a visit to Evita se Perron, the local theatre and museum for some wonderful South Africana. All within an easy drive from Cape Town’s central Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, these are the 13 best wine farms in and around Cape Town – picked by Cape Winelands local Alison Budge.Īnd if you have time to explore for a little longer, why not book a stay in one of the beautiful small towns of wine country? Spend a night or two exploring the historic and rural Tulbagh and Riebeek Kasteel areas. With so many to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to visiting Cape Town’s wine farms. You can visit wine estates on self-drive or guided tours, organised events, the touristy fun of hop-on, hop-off buses, or to really get into the spirit of things, Franschhoek’s Wine Tram. T he Cape Winelands district, which stretches north-east from the city limits, has 148 wine farms alone. If you’re staying in Cape Town itself, and only have time for a day trip to visit some wine farms – well, y ou really are spoiled for choice here. In fact, you don’t even have to like wine to enjoy a trip to the Winelands: Cape Town’s wine farms offer experiences for all, from families and sports fans to history lovers and foodies. Plus, in order to differentiate themselves, each farm tends to add something extra to their offering. Many of the wine estates are historical farms home to strikingly beautiful Cape Dutch manor houses, gardens, hotels, and fine-dining restaurants. The different climates, topography and soil types, known as the terroir, influence the taste of wine produced from the different varietals, as does the skill of the winemaker and the varietal chosen. You can find wine farms as far along the Garden Route as Plettenberg Bay, up the West Coast to the Namibian border and inland for about 250 miles to the dry Karoo area.

Cape Town is bordered by six viticultural regions – all less than an hour’s drive from the city centre – where hundreds of wineries beckon, with the promise of wide-open spaces, stunning outlooks and, of course, world-class wine. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of it all. South Africa is known the world over as a producer of exceptional wines, so it’s no wonder travellers flock to the wine farms (the proper South African term for estates) of the Western Cape.

Sparkling specialist