Olifants River Wine Route

Where visitors become friends.

In the hectic era in which we now find ourselves, it is wonderful and well nigh unbelievable to discover a haven of complete peace and tranquility away from the bustle of city life. The Olifantsriver offers vistas of vast stretches of vineyards and valleys, disappearing into the distance, as far as the eye can see.

Location

Like a beautiful silver thread, the Olifants river winds its way through the valleys, under the watchful eyes of the surrounding mountain peaks, Gifberg, Maskam and Koebee, offering a restful and calm environment of which city dwellers can only dream. The area known as the Matzikama encompasses the towns of Vanrhynsdorp, Vredendal, Koekenaap, Ebenhaezer, Lutzville and Klawer, and once visited, one will find that lifelong friendships have been formed.

A Thriving Wine Route

One of the focus points of the area is its wine route. The Olifantsriver wine route consists of only a handful of cellars that have however, over the years, proved that they can and do produce excellent wines, which are able to compete with the best in the industry and have won gold and silver awards both locally and internationally.

While Westcorp and Lutzville Vineyards, two of the largest cellars in South Africa, are on the wine route, there are also several petite boutique cellars where visitors are welcomed with open arms and might discover wines that they have only heard about. To crown it all there is also a special cellar on the route, which amongst other things produces grape pip oil and verjuice.

All the cellars on the route have as their prime objective the production of high quality wines and they are continuously planning how new available technology, to produce high quality wines, can be utilized in the production of their wines.

Flourishing Vineyards and nurtured landscapes

During the last ten years the planting of many new vineyards has been undertaken. Premium cultivars such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, pinotage, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc now constitutes at least 30% of the total production.

Every year, after the first winter rains, the landscape is transformed into a veritable kaleidoscope of colour. Veld flowers of every imaginable hue and fragrance form a flower carpet which draws visitors from far and wide, both national and from overseas. The many circular routes and interesting footpaths, ensures that there is room for all the sightseers. They could visit the “Kokerboom” forest, the old church from a bye-gone era, rock carvings, the only windmill museum in South Africa etc. etc.