Belthazar terrace overlooking Table Mountain in Cape Town
There’s never been a better time for wine lovers to visit Cape Town in South Africa. Critical acclaim for the oldest New World wine region has kept on gaining momentum since renowned vineyard manager and viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger made her benchmark presentation of the Cape’s most exceptional old-vine wines at the 2013 London Masters of Wine seminar on old vines.
South Africa’s new generation of winemakers are embracing a forensic approach to site selection, better viticultural practices, greater restraint in the cellar and experimenting with more diverse grape varieties. As a result, the country’s wine scene is evolving into ‘one of the most exciting on the planet’ as Decanter contributor Tim Atkin MW wrote in his 2023 South Africa Special Report. In that same report 201 South African wines scored 95 points and above.
But South Africa’s strength – namely that its geographical diversity provides an intensely varied terroir – also makes it challenging to get to grips with its vinous character. Set aside a week or two, trawling farms and estates, and you’ll certainly experience manifold tasting experiences. But with 30 distinct districts and some 100 smaller wards sprawled over 800km across the country, you’ll only ever experience a fraction of what’s on offer.
Thankfully there are easier ways to tour – involving nothing more arduous than taking a seat and listening to the patter of a well-informed Cape Town sommelier as they pour a broad and well-curated selection of wines. With the value of every major foreign currency steadily rising relative to the rand, world-class wining and dining in this splendidly beautiful city is incredibly good value, particularly in winter, when just about every restaurant in town is running a special. Come summer, even fine dining is still a relative bargain, but tables may be hard to come by. It’s best to research and book online soon after you’ve purchased the airfare.
Here then are Cape Town’s best fine dining restaurants for unbiased wine pairings, informal bistros with great wine lists and dedicated wine bars selected for the excellence of their wines by the glass. The two Stellenbosch inclusions are worthy of the 45-minute cab ride. They are all part of what I suggest should be an integrated research trip. A flutter on a pretty sure fire return. Because it’s a generally accepted fact that South Africa’s wines are undervalued and underrated. Prices will inevitably rise as they are increasingly appreciated, not to mention a potential rally of the rand. See you at one of the following – soon.
Fine dining
Aubergine
Ask Eben Sadie – one of South Africa’s most venerated winemakers – which restaurant has the best wine list and he doesn’t hesitate. Aubergine opened in 1996, but chef-owner Harald Bresselschmidt had been collecting wines prior to that date. Today his restaurant has one of the most extensive, diverse wine collections in the city. No wonder Aubergine was the deserved recipient of the inaugural Star Wine List Grand Prix South Africa in 2022. Cuisine is relatively old-school; from a dining point of view it has been overtaken by any of the names below. But for many the pleasure is the cosy comfort of being shown to your table in a converted 19th century home and being guided by sommelier Ralph Reynolds through the treasure trove that is Bresselschmidt’s cellar.
Insider tip: Indicative of Bresselschmidt’s quirky curation, Aubergine has the full Fleur du Cap Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Collection 1986. These Cabernets were made from the same grapes and fermented the same way, but matured for 24 months in five different oak barrels: Nevers, Allier, Limousin, Spanish and North American. The sixth wine is a blend of those five.
39 Barnet Street, Gardens, +27 21 465 000
Dusk
Dusk chefs Darren Badenhorst and Callan Austin
Chefs Callan Austin and Darren Badenhorst and sommelier…
Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/wine-travel/south-africa/cape-town-restaurants-wine-bars-305246/
