“It always seems impossible until its done” Nelson Mandela
Our recent trip to South Africa was a great example of finding a mix of activities on a holiday that both kids and adults could enjoy over the course of a week.
Whilst many of our day trips around Cape Town were designed specifically with the kids in mind, we were uncertain how they would feel about the few days we had exclusively scheduled to be in Stellenbosch – one of the premier wine-growing regions in the world.
This post is part of our Discover Africa series
Mr Globetrotter and I love to do cellar door wine tastings. With a wedding planned in the Stellenbosch area, it was an ideal opportunity to indulge in one of our travelling passions. Ever-present in the back of our minds was that we were, of course, travelling with 3 children 5 and under; how on earth would we keep them entertained while indulging our own passions?
After a rocky start to our South African adventure (attempting to move house, take a kid-free trip to Europe then take our kids on their 5th and 6th ultra-long-haul flights of the year all within a space of 2 weeks; not highly recommended) what we got out of our Stellenbosch experience though utterly blew us away.
More about Stellenbosch, South Africa
Located about 50kms east of Cape Town, the Stellenbosch winemaking region produces a staggering 1,000,000,000 litres of wine per year! The perfect mixture of fertile soil, access to water, hilly terrain and the Mediterranean style climate (hot dry summers with cool wet winters) make for ideal grape growing.
The lands here were first settled by the Dutch back in the 17th century when the earliest of the wine farms were established making this a very mature wine region – and arguably one of the world’s best (I am biased to New World wines).
Coming from the desert, understandably I find any location that has hills and greenery to be truly special; Stellenbosch was in another league, I am still mesmerised by its dramatic beauty!
The Stellenbosch Wine Tasting Experience
As an aside- let me quickly take you through how the wine tasting experience works at a wine farm. I’m an Aussie girl – and with my parents rather conveniently living in the beautiful Great Southern wine-growing district of Western Australia – I have done my fair share of wine tasting over the years but the cellar door system in Australia is run quite differently.
The Aussie wine tasting experience
The usual Aussie system runs along the lines of
- Having say 10 bottles ranging from dry white to sticky red lined up on a counter
- Your server may or may not be trained in the winemaking process
- The samples are usually free
- Depending on how busy the cellar door is, you are given a thimble-full, barely enough to swirl around your mouth
- You are served in a rather quick succession and your samples are all given in the same glass, swirled out with water in between if you’re lucky.
Now this is a huge generalisation and will vary vastly from region to winery depending on the size and scale of their model but you get the picture.
The Stellenbosch wine tasting experience
The Stellenbosch experience, to me, was far more in-depth and formal.
- You are almost always served at a table
- You are almost always charged a tasting fee (though negligible really in the scheme of things, and usually taken off the price of any purchases)
- You are normally only given a handful of say 3-5 wines in your tasting
- Each tasting serve is generous
- All serving staff have an overwhelming knowledge of their products
- Tasting notes are given verbally and at well-spaced intervals
- Adding some sort of tasting plate of food is pretty much expected.
I still enjoy the Australian version too, and on a busy day where you might be trying to sample as many places as possible within a limited time frame, this system may work better. For me it but it put in stark contrast the maturity of the Stellenbosch region and the attention to customer service.
We had less than three days on this occasion to explore the best the region had to offer. With so many wine farms to choose from – there are well over 150 wine farms in the Stellenbosch region alone – we had to be sparing with our time and based most of our visiting decisions around the places we thought could best cater to having kids.
Related Reading: 50 Reasons to visit South Africa at least once
So where exactly did we head to in Stellenbosch?
In total, we got to sample nine stops in our three days. Here are the 4 wine farms that we felt best nailed the family brief in Stellenboschand did not disappoint.
If you are travelling more widely around South Africa, check out this great guide to wine estate picnics for families.
Top Kid-friendly Wine Farms in Stellenbosch
Lanzerac
Love wine AND chocolate? This was one of those “have I died and gone to heaven?” moments for me. Graciously set up, both adults and kids have a tray of chocolates presented in front of them.
Your server takes you through a flight of wines that have been carefully matched with handcrafted chocolates also made on site. The children at this point are invited to sample non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice. The hard thing for the kids to fathom, however, was why were eating our chocolates so slowly and why they couldn’t just dive in and taste them all at once.
As this was our first stop of the day though, it set the tone perfectly for the region and how we could balance our enjoyment with there’s.
Lanzerac Chocolate and wine tasting Kids get a sparkling grape juice option
Spier
This is one of the oldest and largest wine farms in the region – so big it has its own train station stop! The tasting rooms are beautifully set out, overlooking stunning lawns and a dam (much to our youngest’s amusement wanting to constantly investigate this water situation!).
There was a huge variety of tastings to be had here – including another fabulous wine and chocolate matching menu with a kiddie modified version with sparkling grape juice.
We were very impressed with the local knowledge of our server and their kindness when dear Mr Globetrotter started smashing the glassware (no more blaming it on the children, cats out of the bag now!).
The offering at Spier is incredibly extensive with accommodation, a spa, several eating options including restaurants and deli’s, the weekly Werf farmer’s market over the summer months and throughout the year they have many other offerings including Segway tours of the Estate and a widely acclaimed Eagle Encounters for rehabilitated birds of prey. It is pretty much a must-stop for any visitors to the region.
Middelvlei
Fancy a few animals and a feed with your wine tasting? Our kids really enjoyed the interactive experience here, though we, unfortunately, timed our visit at Saturday lunchtime when they were fully booked out so we did not get to taste the much talked about traditional daily South African Barbeque (Braai).
Timed with the fact they also had a kids birthday party on we didn’t get the full experience here but could see how well set up they were for families; our kids, of course, had no hesitation joining in with the birthday celebrations while we were there and they were ever so helpful with helping us plan out more kid-friendly stops for our onward journey.
Vredenheim
Describing themselves as “Not an ordinary Wine Farm”, Vredenheim brings you a great mixture of wildlife and wine. The highlight here for kids is the Big Cat Tour; from the safety of their viewing decks, you can join a small tour at feeding time of their resident cats, ranging from lions to tigers, leopards and cheetahs.
After the big cats the kids were again treated to a grape juice tasting, they also have a nice shop area full of cuddly toys and nick-knacks – good luck walking away from here without a purchase or two!
Other Regional Recommendations
Of course, not every wine farm needs to have specific children’s activities for them to get enjoyment from them. Some that we were told were kids friendly, in reality, had just a play park outside; this is fabulous for after you’ve made your purchases and enjoying a glass in the sun, but tasting rooms themselves can be a precarious place for young fingers.
Some places we simply didn’t feel comfortable sitting in for too long for fear of small hands breaking delicate displays. Now spoilt to the world of sparkling grape juice, those that did not serve this came as a great disappointment to our Miss 5; though usually placated with a nibbling plate and some colouring in.
Not entirely kid-friendly but among our “grown-up” favourites were Muratie and Delheim, nestled high on Simonsberg Mountain they are among the oldest estates in the region with specialities in late harvest wines and ports.
The very last stop we made before heading back to explore Cape Town was at Remhoogte – mostly because Mr Globetrotter had seen them advertise craft beer. After a long few days sipping wine, a pallet cleanser for Dad was understandable.
I remember the enjoyably refreshing Wild Beast Beer, and views across Stellenbosch that were nothing short of utterly spectacular, the zebra and antelopes roaming in the fields just adding to the experience.
The resident dogs came out to play with the children and Dad taught the kids the fine art of doing a roly-poly down the grassy slopes. We were all a little grass-stained by the end but in my eye, this was the point where we hit family-travel perfection on this trip – everyone left here happy.
Is there anything other than wine in Stellenbosch?
I will admit, if you’re really not into the food and wine scene, you might get bored after a few days (but still – what about those breathtaking views!?!). We took turns during our trip playing designated driver and certainly, the driver was well catered for in non-alcoholic beverages and food.
As mentioned above a few places sell craft beers, many specialise in offering cheese or meat pairing activities, as well as chocolate tasting we’ve mentioned above.
Plenty of wine farms have animals on-site, ranging from native species to farm animals. Some offer fishing on site, garden walks, galleries, horse riding, bike trails and countless other activities that you could think of.
In the town of Stellenbosch itself, young kids will be delighted with the Toy Museum, located behind the tourist information centre – a really extensive and eclectic mix of toys from across generations from antique cars to beautiful dollhouses. A very minimal entry fee applies.
We felt three days was too short for exploring the region properly, but after a full week, the novelty might start to wear off. Cape Town itself is really only a stone’s throw away though so there are plenty of opportunities to mix up a trip to Stellenbosch if you did not want to simply wine taste every day, while still basing yourself in the region.
A quick guide to safe wine tasting
We here at Our Globetrotters utterly promote responsible drinking. We love our wine tasting but if driving, always take care of your drinking limits – remembering 4 to 5 ounces of wine (approx 30ml =1oz) is the equivalent of a standard drink.
Everyone loves a generous hand at a wine tasting but be conscious of how much is going in your glass and step out or use the spittoon when you know you’re at your limit – remembering the full effects of a glass of wine can last for 60-90 minutes.
Our children learn from our actions. If you include children in the experience of tasting and appreciating wine at a young age, they will come to see this in a mature way when they are old enough to legally drink themselves.
On another safety note, remember all wine farms have dams or open bodies of water for irrigation – no matter how many vino’s you have had, never let children out of your sight when visiting a wine farm.
We have an extensive guide to wine tasting with kids and safety tips here.
Stellenbosch – How we did it
We visited during October 2015 – days are still cool and crisp at this time of year but the weather held for the most part!
We stayed at Boord Guest House, only a few minutes drive from the centre of Stellenbosch, a peacefully quiet retreat with B&B facilities, beautiful views, parking space and friendly service.
Guesthouses are a great way for families to explore a region like this where some of the accommodation on the wine farms themselves can be on the very pricey side.
We took our own Phil & Teds Traveller Cot for our infant but a cot was available upon request.
We flew into Cape Town from Abu Dhabi via Doha on Qatar Airways, at the time we flew they operated a direct service every second day (NB as at mid-2017 this route is no longer possible due to political situation in the Middle East).
We hired a car from Cape Town airport for ease of travelling between destinations around the Cape Peninsula, this included the hire of car seats – note it is a left-hand drive country.
Other resources for Families Visiting Stellenbosch
- In researching how we should plan out our days around the Cape Winelands, I found The Stellenbosch Mom to be a great blog resource, a beautiful website with fairly up to date information, a really useful planning resource for visiting the region with kids.
- Another great local resource if you’re travelling with kids in South Africa is Things to do with Kids, they have loads of ideas for Stellenbosch & the rest of the country.
- Stellenbosch Wine Routes is a great resource, and their maps will no doubt be your saviour during a trip to Stellenbosch, available from pretty much all wineries and restaurants you visit in the region. Â They break the Stellensbosch region up into 5 different routes for ease of navigation based on geography.
- Of course, it is always a good idea to visit the local tourism office too, the Stellenbosch Visitor Information Centre is based centrally in Market Street (car parking available). Â Here they can help you plan out your trip based on your interests and available time, narrowing down what can at first appear an overwhelmingly huge task to explore the region.
I must give a shout out to @monicaep on Instagram who answered my call for kid-friendly itinerary ideas for Western Cape and provided us with an amazing list to work from.
Also a final credit to our friends Andrew & Elise who were wed at Nooitgedacht Estate in Stellenbosch – what an utterly stunning setting and superb wedding. We are so grateful for the opportunity to visit South Africa again and have the opportunity to explore your home with our family – thank you.
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Enjoyed this? Â Don’t forget to check out our guide to Cape Town with Kids, or those looking for other grape-lead adventures will love our guide to 25 great family-friendly wine routes around the world
Disclosures: We were not paid to mention any of the wine farms or attractions in this post, we visited all under our own accord receiving no discount. There are affiliate links in this post which may earn us a small income if you make a booking or purchase at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our blog – our full disclosure policy can be found here.
© Our Globetrotters
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Thanks for this! We hope to visit South Africa and will plan to stop in Stellenbosch. I’m pinning this for future use 🙂
That’s great, it’s still one of our favourite places in the world and definitely on our re-visit list as soon as we can
Hello,I just visit Napa Valley for tasting wine. It is one of the best places for tasting wine. One day my friend Allen talk about South African wine. She also tells me South Africa produced a huge quantity of wine. In my city, South Africa red wine is very famous. I also like its brands.
I love this Keri, you have brought back so many special memories in this article for me. For example it was at Spier that I realised I might be pregnant, we were having a picnic on the banks of the little lake, trying to enjoy a delicious gourmet picnic but I was feeling super nauseuas 🙂
ps. I didn´t know that you are a Aussie girl! I´ve been practising my Aussie accent for years but I just can´t seem to get it right 🙂
Oh what a fun memory -I’m sure it wasn’t at the time! I hope you’ve been back to Spiers not nauseous to do the chocolate & wine matching!!!
Yes I am indeed of Aussie background but 10+ years of living overseas has alas left me with this weird international sounding accent just like my kids are developing! Mr Globetrotter on the other hand is as okker as they come
I am definitely earmarking this if we ever make it to this part of the world! We are big fans of wine tasting with the kids too, and spent some time at some wineries in Tuscany the past two summers which were amazing for kids (one of them was owned by a family with two kids, so all our kids played together which was ideal). Lovely photos..the wedding looks like it was beautiful too :).
thanks Corey, yes I remember seeing some of your posts on Tuscany, another must-do region for us too
The more I read your posts about South Africa, the more I want to go!
Ohhh that is a looot of wine hahaha I love it, and would definitely to the wine tasting 😀
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year!
Thank you for linking up with #MondayEscapes
I’ve never considered going wine tasting with kids but this sounds great. I wouldn’t have expected the farms to be so family friendly #MondayEscapes
I love how family-friendly most of the winery’s were! The views in your photos were very gorgeous. Great post! Look forward to visiting Stellenbosch someday!
Arguably one of the most scenic places in the world, I hope you do make it one day, it should be a must for all travellers!
I have never done a wine tasting tour (I have drunk my fair share though) as I thought the kids might get bored. This has made me think otherwise now and its definitely something i’m going to look at booking.
Definitely if you can find the right venue its well worth trying
What a brilliant idea for a blog post! I love how there are so many activities for the children to do as well and fizzy drinks for them to try. When we did a bit of wine tasting in Provence, I was grateful just for a room with armchairs for my two who settled down and did some reading. This is something else altogether! #MondayEscapes
I think its a much more family-friendly market than Europe – they know their audience of sleep deprived parents!!
Love the sparkling grape juice, so cute 🙂 I like how you highlighted that there are some wineries that are family friendly, so not to rule out this type of activity when travelling with your kids.
Some times on holidays you feel like you are just shoving colouring books in front of them but this trip really showed you can actively involve them in grown up activities too
I always feel a kindred spirit in a Mom who loves wine tastings…with kids in tow! We love them here in our good old Okanagan! And now I have a great new blend to look for to try over Christmas! Thanks for sharing!
absolutely, love my wine tastings, slowly getting my way around the world – one day I dream of the grand cellar! (maybe not while I’m living in the dry country…)
Great post – I love love love Cape Town and the surrounding area. We went there on honeymoon, and again on baby moon for a friend’s wedding when I was pregnant with my first (guess who was designated driver for the wineries that week, boooo) I can’t wait to go back again with the kids. I do love a child-friendly winery; we visit Margaret River most years with the kids and it is just the best…
Both are just wonderful places for families Marianne – definitely need a day where you’re NOT the designated driver for the wine and chocolate matching experience!!
I see more and more wineries catering to families (well, at least here in California). There are big spaces where kids can run around. In some of them, there are toys or animals. One of the areas close to home even have an ostrich farm around.
That’s great to know thanks Ruth, we haven’t “done” Napa Valley or any of the famous American wine routes yet but certainly encouraging to hear they are catering to families too
It all looks amazing and delicious. I love that some were so kid-friendly, makes such a difference 🙂
The food (as well as the wine) is nothing short of AMAZING!! I don’t think there was a single meal we came away from disappointed!
All wineries these days need to have things to keep kids occupied if they want family visitors. In Gippsland here were we live we have 3 wineries within 20 km of where we live. One of them is exceptionally kid friendly with a playground and games available, while another has jumping castles regularly.
#mondayescapes
That’s great Mark – I think its a growing audience and wineries are becoming more aware of it – the big difference I noticed from Australian wineries though was that they actually included the kids at the table in the tasting process as well – but having a playground available is superb for burning some kiddy beans before jumping back in the car
Loved it. Hope to get there one day to drink a lil wine!!
Couldn’t think of anywhere better in the world to do it!