De Grendel Wine Farm in Durbanville

A first-class Winelands destination right on Cape Town’s doorstep

Not many visitors to Cape Town (and locals) are aware that there is an award-winning wine estate only a 15-minute drive from the city.  De Grendel, a historic winery that sits on Cape Town’s Durbanville Wine Route offers a world-class Winelands experience – with resident wild game and the best views of Table Mountain setting it apart!

Aside from laying claim to a supreme range of reds and whites, an elegant alfresco tasting area and a gourmet on-site restaurant, the estate, which stretches out over almost 220 hectares on the fynbos-covered slopes of Tygerberg Hill, boasts breathtaking vistas and a natural, pastoral beauty that even farms in the Cape’s more well-established wine districts would be hard pressed to match.

“The main appeal here is the fantastic view,” asserts Sir De Villiers Graaff, the fourth generation in the famed local Graaff family to dwell on De Grendel soil. “On a clear day, you can see all the way from Table Bay to False Bay, and sometimes even on to Cape Point.”

Because the Durbanville region is well suited to producing some of the country’s best Sauvignon Blanc, this cultivar is a core focus of the winery. They craft two very distinct, top-class styles: the quaffable, tropical fruit-driven De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc and the crisp, grassy De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc, which is so named because the grapes used to make this wine are grown in a vineyard that sprawls out right next to the old coach house (‘koetshuis’ in Afrikaans) where the wagons of days gone by were once kept.

But the farm is certainly not only about outstanding whites. De Grendel is also mother to an elegant (and very affordable) salmon-hued Rosé; an apple-driven MCC Brut; a buttery, cherry-rich Pinot Noir (another newer winery treasure that received Top 100 SA Wines status in 2013); a world-class Merlot and Shiraz; and a flagship Bordeaux Blend called Rubaiyat, which received a gold award at the International Wine & Spirit Awards 2016. The latter, which is all roasted nuts and Christmas cake on the palate, was named after a collection of 11th-century love poems that Sir De Villiers’s father, the late Sir David, held dear, another example of how family values are stitched into every facet of the farm’s fabric.

And maybe because the estate is so family-orientated, with integrity at its heart, it’s not only focused on producing champion wines, but on doing so in an ethical, sustainable way. Hence, the Durbanville spot aspires to adopt responsible farming practices (spraying minimally and relying on natural predators where possible), is active in protecting the endangered Renosterveld vegetation that flourishes on the hill, has a solar plant on the farm to reduce their carbon footprint, and also invests heavily in the education of the farm labourers’ children.

Though not as striking as the property’s other highlights, like the spectacular outlook and the country feel (where you can find birdlife, a new Eland herd, a rare black springbok as well as the resident farm goats), such principles also contribute to the De Grendel charm, and are just one more reason why, as Sir De Villiers emphasises, if looking for an unforgettable day out in the Cape Winelands, “you don’t need to go anywhere else”.

Because the Durbanville region is well suited to producing some of the country’s best Sauvignon Blanc, this cultivar is a core focus of the winery. They craft two very distinct, top-class styles: the quaffable, tropical fruit-driven De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc and the crisp, grassy Koetshuis, which is so named because the grapes used to make this wine are grown in a vineyard that sprawls out right next to the old coach house (‘koetshuis’ in Afrikaans) where the wagons of days gone by were once kept.

But the farm is certainly not only about outstanding whites. De Grendel is also mother to an elegant (and very affordable) salmon-hued Rosé; an apple-driven MCC Brut;a buttery, cherry-rich Pinot Noir (another newer winery treasure that received Top 100 SA Wines status in 2013); a world-class Merlot and Shiraz; and a flagship Bordeaux Blend called Rubaiyat. The latter, which is all roasted nuts and Christmas cake on the palate, was named after a collection of 11th-century love poems that De Villiers’s father, the late Sir David, held dear, another example of how family values are stitched into every facet of the farm’s fabric.

And maybe because the estate is so family-orientated, with integrity at its heart, it’s not only focused on producing champion wines, but on doing so in an ethical, sustainable way. Hence, the Durbanville spot aspires to adopt responsible farming practices (spraying minimally and relying on natural predators where possible), is active in protecting the endangered Renosterveld vegetation that flourishes on the hill, and also invests heavily in the education of the farm labourers’ children.

Though not as striking as the property’s other highlights, like the spectacular outlook and the country feel, such principles also contribute to the De Grendel charm, and are just one more reason why, as De Villiers emphasises, if looking for an unforgettable day out in the Cape Winelands, “you don’t need to go anywhere else.”

De Grendel Restaurant

Opened in March 2012, De Grendel’s refined on-site eatery completes the farm’s full package. With esteemed local chef Ian Bergh at the wheel, the restaurant, which overlooks a serene dam and the silhouette of Table Mountain, creates contemporary South African cuisine to complement the estate’s range of wines (these are available here at cellar door prices).

Awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2016, and the award for the Best Scenic Restaurant (Luxury Setting) in South Africa at the World Luxury Restaurant Awards 2016.

The seasonal dinner and lunch menus feature delicious works of genius, combining international trends and local flavours. As for the light, airy space’s look and feel, well, the sense of history and family prevails here too. Indeed, the glass-panelled eatery is decorated in much the same way the Graaff matriarchs would adorn their own homes: personal paintings and photographs dot the walls and the blue and white crockery bears the regal family crest. In essence, De Grendel Restaurant offers an intimate yet elegant dining experience only 15 minutes from Cape Town, but seemingly worlds away.

Tip: For wine tasting no booking is required – the newly-renovated Tasting Lounge and Stoep  are open to the public seven days a week.

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Does lunch at this tranquil Durbanville estate sound good? Read more about our experience dining at De Grendel Restaurant.

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