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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 environment of which city dwellers can only dream.

One of the focus points of the area is its wine route. The Olifants River Vodacom Wine Route consists of only a handful of cellars that have, over the years, proved that they can and do produc excellent wines, which are able to compare with the best in the industry and have won gold and silver awards both locally and internasionally.

While Namaqua Wines, Klawer Wine Cellars and Lutzville Vineyards, three of the largest cellars in South Africa, are on the wine route, there are also several small boutique cellars where visitors are welcomed with open arms. All the cellars on the route have as their prime objective the production of high quality wines and they are continuously planning how new technology can be utilised in the production of their wines.

The tradition of winemaking in the Olifants River Valley dates back more than 200 years. The first vines in the region were planted in the late 1600s, after the first Dutch settlers moved there from Cape Town. It was only during World War II, when a canal was built through the lower Olifants River Valley, that intensive winemaking really became viable.

 

Starting at Trawal, 200 kilometres from Cape Town, the Olifants River Vodacom Wine Route hugs the Olifants River 120 kilometres, all the way to Strandfontain, and south towards Lamberts Bay, where the most westerly vineyards in the country are located. The Wine Route is a spectular 200-kilometres stretch of varying beauty and dramatic contrasts.

The Olifants River Wine Route is proud to be sponsored by Cellphone giant Vodacom. Vodacom has been involved in the Olifants River region with marketing programmers as well as social upliftment and development of farm workers skills. To visit them...