Wine estates Paarl

The estate most visited by tourists because of its cheese production, the Camembert style roydon, its goat tower, and its impressive range of wines. The Fairview Wine and Cheese is unfortunately a bit of a victim of its success. Charles Back tries his hand at viognier, a rare grape variety in South Africa and France... and also at the Côte du Rhône style with his wines called - attention, sound effects - "Goats do Roan" and "Goat Rôti". The National Institute of Appellations of Origin has lodged a complaint (!). Pleasant restaurant.

The KWV cellar in Paarl is one of the largest in the world. From its first roots in 1918, the year Nelson Mandela was born, KWV was already a small cooperative of producers, proud pioneers with the vision of improving the standards and quality of the wine industry in South Africa, it has become a global producer. Our favourite moment: the tasting part of Brandy & Chocolate after a visit to the distillery, a real change compared to other wineries.

Nestled against the local Alpilles, an estate that is worth a visit primarily for its enchanting postcard setting. At Avondale, terra est vita is the philosophy, which means "the soil is life". One can guess that the estate is oriented towards organic, biodynamic and natural agriculture. Water, energy, plants, animals, people and even the buildings that stand on the Avondale soil are considered to be part of a whole, interconnected system. Wine is consumed here in honour of the love of life.

This is another area where you won't run into a busload of Japanese tourists. At Glen Carlou, it's all about tailor-made, high-flying craftsmanship. Marius Cloete is one of those winemakers who work on each bottle, slowly, lovingly and without waiting for an order from a central purchasing office. We settle down on a beautiful terrace overlooking the Paarl countryside and its vineyards as far as the eye can see. So this is the great classic! A Bordeaux-style blend, with Chardonnay, one of South Africa's jewels in the crown.