It was my partner’s birthday and so we headed out of Cape Town for Tulbach. We had no definite plans for the day but decided after lunch to visit one of the local vineyards for tasting. As luck had it, we soon discovered that the Tulbach vineyards closed at 2pm on Saturdays or offered tasting only by appointment.

We headed North on the R46 towards Ceres and decided to visit Waverley Hills, a vineyard we had heard of and that was open on a Saturday afternoon. We soon arrived and followed the narrow road lined by vines and old cottages. We parked in the sunshine by the tasting room and restaurant.

The environmental pedigree of this estate was immediately apparent as we walked past conservation signs – Waverley Hills was the first ‘Conservation Champion’ in the region. The area beside the steps up to the tasting room was beautifully landscape with indigenous plants beside a trickling stream. From there, the views across the Witzenberg mountain range were magnificent.