Neethlingshof

Neethlingshof Review

A long avenue of pines leads to this lovely estate, which traces its origins to 1692. The magnificent 1814 Cape Dutch manor house looks out across formal rose gardens to the Stellenbosch Valley and the Hottentots Holland Mountains. There's even a large play area, complete with jungle gyms, for kids. The wines produced on this estate and those from its sister farm, Stellenzicht, are highly regarded, so be prepared for a rush of tour buses during high season. The gewürztraminer is an off-dry, very elegant wine with rose-petal and spice aromas, and the Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest is one of the best of its kind, having scooped up almost every local award since 1990. The farm's flagship wine, Lord Neethling Laurentius—a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, and Shiraz—is definitely worth stockpiling. Try the food and wine parings: you'll have traditional fast food (pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets) paired with its wines. You get a box with a small piece of each food to try with different wines. The whole idea is to show that wine goes with everything—not just fancy food!