Many of the photos we see of South African vineyards–positioned in front of striking granite mountains,–are from the Stellenbosch area. It contains the most developed winelands; it is home to an important wine University (University of Stellenbosch); and it is the center of wine tourism. In short, Stellenbosch is to South African wine much like Napa is to Californian wine.

TIP: Stellenbosch is a sub-region, or district, within the Coastal Region

Of course, finding good wine from Stellenbosch can be challenging because there are so many producers. However, there is a secret to exploring the area. The highest rated wines tend come from vineyards that are on alluvial fans of the granite mountains. The wines from these locations are often described as having a subtle mineral note which many believe is from the decomposed granite soils. The granite mountains are approximately 600 million years old, over 3 times as old as the soil in Napa.